Out of All the Cliches
by OddChicken
Summary: Her: headstrong, mischievous, yet somewhat shy. Him: Quiet, dedicated, and ambitious. It seems like they would make an unlikely pair, but don't be too quick to judge. ShinxOC R&R!
1. The Beginning

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Do you think you'll be able to fit in just one more student, Mr. Saibara?"

"Well, even though we've got enough students to fill the Tokyo Stadium," a man paused and chuckled at his own joke, "I think there's still one spot left for your daughter to fill, Mrs. Utsuruko."

I glanced up at the conversation happening between my Mum and the principal. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably as I glanced around the principal office, completely bored out of my mind. An antique clock, huge vases filled with ornate flowers standing atop marble tables, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling; if I hadn't known this was an office, I could easily mistook this room for a hotel lobby.

Well, not really.

"What do you say to that, sweetheart?" my mum looked at me.

Hadn't been listening to what they have been talking about, I smiled weakly at both my mum and the principal and nodded.

"We'll have your uniform sent by tomorrow and your books can be picked up from the administration office on your first day," Mr. Saibara smiled at me. From what I could tell, he's just smiling for the sake of being polite. So I smiled back. Kind of.

"Great, then!" my mum clasped her hands in delight as she stood up slowly, "thank you very much for letting my daughter enrol here Mr. Saibara," she shook his hand and gestured me to do the same.

"It was a pleasure Mrs. Utsuruko, hopefully she will do well in the academic as well as the extracurricular activities, yes?" Mr. Saibara gave me a hopeful look as he shook my hand. Again, I just smiled and nodded.

"Oh, I'll make sure of that," my mum closed the conversation with a smile.

I sighed.

It was my very first day at Oujou, and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it. Sure, the decor was very luxurious and the hallways were clean—unlike my old school—but I just couldn't seem to fit in very well.

Maybe I was a bit quick on judgement, since I haven't even gone to my first class yet.

I leaned against the wall and looked up, text books in my thin arms, keeping them close to my chest. Slowly, I scanned the rows of lockers for number 164, and I found it almost right away. My eyes were quite sharp, after all.

I walked over to the locker that was located in the middle of the row, inspecting it. Sure, there were dents here and there, but I've seen worse. Sticking my tongue out as I balanced the heavy books in my left arm, I used my right hand to unlock the blue locker in front of me.

'_Right 49... Left 21... Right... 13!'_ I thought as I turned the lock to the appropriate direction.

It didn't open.

Raising an eyebrow, I tucked a strand of black hair behind my ear and tried again.

'_Right 49... Left 21... Right... 13...'_ I carefully turned the lock, making sure that I stopped at the exact number with each turn.

Still didn't open. _'Well that was embarrassing. Thank God no one is here,_' I glanced around, making sure the hallway was empty. I think they all went to the auditorium for an assembly or something. I tried to open the lock again.

And again.

And again.

I groaned when I got to my 7th try. My first class was going to start in 5 minutes, and how could I make a good impression if I was late? I slammed my forehead to the locker door and sighed again.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned my head around slowly to see who it was.

A guy who was quite—no, scratch that—_very_ tall, with blonde hair was staring at me weirdly. Taken aback, I quickly spun and hit my back against the locker. Don't ask me why I got taken aback, people who are taller than me makes me feel inferior, okay?

"Uh... hi," I greeted lamely, trying to make contact with his eyes and failing miserably.

"Hi," he replied, his arm remained awkwardly in front of him. "So, umm," he continued as he pulled his arm back down, "you're having some problems with your locker or something?"

I glanced back at the lock I've been fumbling with for the last 15 minutes and nodded weakly, "Sort of... yeah. The lock's been kinda failing on me."

The guy took a look at my locker number and gave an ooh-sound that someone makes when they discover something terrible. "No wonder, this is locker number 164," I raised an eyebrow as he pointed the obvious, but let him continue, "see, the trick with this lock is..."

I stepped aside as he fumbled with the lock, turning it to the same directions as I did some minutes ago. Then, he grabbed the round part firmly and tugged hard.

By God, it got _unlatched_.

"You just have to pull really hard on the lock," he explained, "I used to have this locker; I know how you feel."

My chocolate brown eyes widened as the distance between my lips got wider and wider. A chuckle from the blonde guy brought me back to reality.

"Thanks," I tried to smile—I really _did_—at him, tightening my hold on my text books.

"No problem," he smiled back.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine as I felt someone stare at me. I tried to suppress it, but I guess it showed because that guy gave me a weird look. Not that I wasn't accustomed to weird looks, but you know...

"Sakuraba, we're going to be late for class."

I turned my head around for the second time and noticed a guy with black hair standing beside my newly made friend—was it okay to call him a friend by the way? I wasn't too sure; I was never an expert at friend making. Ironic, because according to my horoscope, I was meant to be outgoing.

He was muscular and tall, though not as tall as my... _friend_ (still unsure of what to call him). His thick eyebrows were knitted together, a crease forming in the middle of his forehead. His hair was messy, and he was frowning. His eyes were fixed in an intense stare, directed at his friend's face. By the look of it, I didn't think he smiled a lot.

"Oh, crap! I haven't taken out my books!" the tall guy suddenly came to realization.

"Um, you can go ahead if you'd like to," I told him. '_Wait, why would he need my approval of leaving in the first place?_'I mentally slapped my forehead.

"Is it alright? You should hurry too, class starts in two minutes," he asked for assurance.

"Yeah, it's fine, I got this figured out," I chuckled as I pointed to the lock.

"Okay then, see you around!" he dashed to the end of the freakishly long hallway, waving his hand at me. I gave back a smile. "Oh wait, I haven't got your name—too late," I laughed to myself.

After taking my history books out of the locker, I closed the door and did a little pirouette before crashing into someone. I was never a dancer, I'd admit that, but who else were in the hallway? I slowly glanced up and there he was. You know, the guy with the black hair? The muscular one?

"Um... what are you doing?" I asked him awkwardly, not sure of how to response to his intense stare nor this current embarrassment of a predicament. Very gently, I took small steps back, regaining my private bubble.

He didn't reply, but I could've sworn he raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you have class? You did say you were going to be late," I explained. He remained still.

"I mean... are you waiting for someone or something..." my voice trailed off to the Neverland. I always seemed to have this problem when communicating with someone new. It was a habit, I suppose.

He still didn't say anything. _'Don't tell me...'_

"I mean, you can _go_ if you want to..." I left yet another sentence hung in the air.

He glanced at me and asked, "Are you sure?"

'_Whoa, he talked to me,'_ my doe eyes widened a bit. "I'm sure," I gave him a small smile. "Hey, what's your—"

Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, he dashed off to the direction of that blonde guy. _'Damn, I failed to get his name, too.'_

"Wait wait wait, so he _was_ waiting for my approval?" I asked out loud in disbelief. The ringing of the bell brought me back from my stupor.

"Oh, shoot! I'm gonna be late for class!"

Luckily, I ran fast enough to get in the class before the bell finished ringing. It helped that I had memorized the map of the school, too. I scanned for a free seat and found one near the window, on the far right corner of the class. Smiling, I jogged to that seat and set my books on the table before slumping on it, gazing outside to the empty field.

'_Is that where the sports team practice?'_ I asked myself. I've heard about this school's reputation with American football, but I never actually involve myself in the sport itself, be it physically or mentally. I've just heard about the team on the newspapers.

The teacher walked in a few minutes after the bell rang, and closed the door gently. Luckily, I wasn't specifically called to introduce myself. You know that awkward moment when you have to explain to a bunch of new people a few things about yourself and you just have no clue what to say? Yeah, I've had to go through those a couple of times, and I never liked them. She introduced me to the class briefly; all I had to do was stand up and smile.

After that, she did role calls and smiled when she checked the very last box on the absent sheet. Apparently, no one decided to play hooky. She started the lesson with an introduction to world history and that was where I kind of got bored.

I decided to doodle on my textbook and when I got bored doing _that_, I looked to my left. A girl with brown hair tied up in a neat pony tail was sitting upright, diligently taking notes of every little thing the teacher said.

'_She looks friendly,'_ I thought. I shrugged when I thought of myself making friends—because you know, I sucked at doing that—and continued on doodling.

A tap on my left shoulder brought me back to the realms of the real world. I looked at the direction of the poke and saw the pony tail girl—I swear I would call her by her name if I_knew_ what it was—looking at me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Um... Well," she glanced around. I think she didn't want to be caught talking during class. "Do you have a spare highlighter with?"

"Yeah, I do, hold on," with that, I took my pencil case and scrambled its content. I'm not trying to brag, but my pencil case _was_ fully packed. "What colour do you want?" I asked her.

"Anything is fine, really," she glanced again. "But I do prefer yellow ones."

Taking out a yellow highlighter from my pencil case, I handed it to her discreetly. She took it and immediately went back to taking notes. I frowned slightly at the lack of appreciation but shrugged it off.

I glanced up at the blackboard to see what I've missed so far. Nothing I didn't already know, but what was so wrong in playing safe? I took out my favourite pencil and started jotting down on my doodle filled notebook.

The bell rang and I immediately stretched my arms out with a yawn. It was pretty nice reviewing things; my memory wasn't the best, it took me 30 minutes to memorize the school map. I noticed a dainty hand at the corner of my eye and looked up to see who it belonged to.

"Here, your highlighter," the ponytail girl said with a smile. "My name is Koharu Wakana, I'm the manager of the American football club. You can call me Koharu," she introduced herself shortly. "Thanks for lending me your highlighter," she beamed and held out her hand.

"No problem, I'm Utsuruko Mio, but you can just call me Io," I shook her hand and placed my highlighter inside my pencil case before tossing it into my black bag.

"Huh? Why not Mio?" Koharu asked.

"Well, I'm just more used to the name Io," I smiled meekly. "My parents told me that they put the M in front of Io so that it would sound more... Japanese..."

Koharu giggled, "well that's pretty unique."

"I suppose."

"What class do you have next?" she leaned forward to look at my scheduled that was sprawled on my table. That was one of my attempts at memorizing by the way, just so you know. "Ooh, you have Chemistry! With me!" she beamed.

I groaned. Koharu looked at me weirdly; I think I hurt her somehow by groaning.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, no! It's just that Chemistry has never been my... forte," I tried to justify myself, waving my hands in front of my chest frantically.

"Oh, don't worry about that! It's really easy, I'll teach you!" she grabbed my hand and pulled me up before attempting to drag me outside the classroom. Quickly, I grabbed my bag and schedule before caving in to her fierce motions.

Chemistry was _boring_. With a capital B. Koharu tried to teach me the calculations and all, but none of it actually got into my head. Well, they did, but none of them stuck there. I felt a bit guilty about making her explain things over and over again.

We parted ways at lunch; she had some things to take care of at the club. She asked me to come, but I told her that I had to do something important. I felt guiltier about that, since the important thing I had to do was just a bit of thinking, but I couldn't think unless I was in a quiet environment. That's when my noodles _really_ start working.

I took a seat at a bench outside, the one that was far away from every other bench. Protected in the shadows of the trees, I took a deep breath and released it with a smile. Then I took my crumpled schedule out of my front pocket and smoothed it out before turning it to the other side. On it, the regulations of this school as well as a list of the clubs were printed neatly.

I took my lunchbox out of my bag and opened it before checking what was inside. '_Tempura shrimps, my favourite._' I took one and stuffed it inside my mouth with its uncovered tail sticking out, putting my chin on my left hand.

Honestly, I wasn't really interested in a lot of these clubs. The ones that took my attention were track and field, the debate club and art club. In my old school, I was one of the main runners in the track and field club. I've won quite a lot of competitions, but I didn't really like the pressure the club members were giving me so I quitted.

'_I guess we can safely cross this one out of the list,'_ I took my black marker and dragged it across the club name.

I swallowed my shrimp before crossing the art club with my marker.

'_I've got enough art activities at home; I don't need more, do I?'_ I asked myself a rhetorical question before stuffing another shrimp into my mouth. _'So that leaves the debate club,'_I checked the time and place for the debate club: 15.00, room 405, building A.

'_That's the building across the field, right?'_ I took out my map from my bag to double check.

The bell suddenly rang, signifying the end of lunch: 12.30. _'Shoot!'_ I gobbled up the remaining shrimps and dashed off to my next class.

The last two classes were okay. I had Maths and English, which I wasn't so bad at. I couldn't recall anything from those two classes actually, because my mind has been occupied with the debate club. I wasn't so sure why I was so excited either.

I quickly scuffled down the hallway to my locker. After learning the lock trick from that... blonde guy, I hastily opened my locker and stuffed my books in there before slamming it closed and checked the gigantic watch on the wall.

'_14.50. Lucky! I still have time to spare,'_ I thought to myself, allowing a little smile to form on my lips.

I twirled around and accidentally bumped a girl on the way. The girl was carrying a cup of coffee with her. And unfortunately, the cup fell out of her hand and onto my white blazer.

Maybe I wasn't so lucky that day after all.

Five minutes later I was in the girls' bathroom, scrubbing wet paper towel on my stained blazer. I had apologized to that girl—bowing and everything—all there was left to do was get this stain off of my blazer and then I could rush to building A.

'_This is hopeless,'_I thought as I folded my blazer neatly and tucked it inside my bag. _'I'll just drop it off at a dry cleaner later.'_

I washed my hands and peeked at the great clock, only to discover I had 3 minutes to get to the debate room on time. I did _not_ want to be late for _anything_ on my first day.

I dashed out of the girls' bathroom and ran to the nearest exist.

The sun hit my face as I ran out of building B. Reflexively, I brought one of my arms to shield my eyes from the sunlight.

'_That's better,'_ I thought. The sun rays were still burning my eyes though, so I tried to run across as quickly as possible.

I glanced to my left side. I couldn't make out specific details, but I could see some figures running about.

'_Are those the American football club? Wa-wait! The bell is ringing already!'_ I quickened my pace as I heard the bell rang. I thought that I could reach it in time, just like the history class. I wasn't called the star of track and field for nothing, after all.

The sunlight got even more intense as they infiltrated my eyes through the small gaps my fingers had created. It was official.

I got blinded.

And that day was _definitely_ not one of my lucky days.

"Kyaaah!" A scream was heard as I crashed into someone. A couple of dull thuds let me know I dropped—or made that person drop—some things on the ground. Yet I still had the decency to smile when I felt a personalized sanctuary fell on my face—covering my eyes, to be exact.

"Ah~" I let out a content sigh as I fell onto my back. I didn't care if I was going to be late for the debate club, my eyes were burning like hell and this thing was soothing them.

"Oh my God! Io, I'm so sorry!"

_'Wait a second,'_ I thought, _'I know that voice!'_

Slowly I peeked out of my asylum—which turned out to be some piece of cloth—and saw my newly made friend (I'm sure this time) on the ground, trying to pick up scattered towels and kneeling at the same time.

"I'm sorry Io! I wasn't paying attention!" Koharu apologized frantically.

Quickly, I tore off the cloth off my head and apologized repeatedly as I helped her pick up and fold the towels neatly.

"No, I'm sorry for not paying attention! It was my fault, I was trying to get to the debate club on time—"

"Are you guys okay?" A shadow protected my heated hair and I looked up to see who it was.

Upon noticing that it was the blonde guy from earlier, I jumped up and pointed at him while screaming. Not the best reaction, but I told you that tall people makes me feel inferior.

"P-pardon me?" the tall guy seemed to have shrivelled as he looked at me strangely, before a light of realization come upon his eyes.

"Oh! You're the locker girl!"—see, I wasn't the only one giving out nicknames—"from this morning!" he pointed at me, though not as rudely as I did to him. _'My bad,'_ I thought.

"You guys know each other?" Koharu asked, looking from me, to him, then back to me as she finished folding all the towels.

"Yeah, we met this morning by the lockers, she got stuck with locker 164," he explained in my place. "Oh yeah, I never got to know your name," he held his hand out. _'Whoa, his arms are long,'_ I thought as I shook his hand.

"I'm Sakuraba Haruto, Oujou's wide receiver," he smiled. I thought my eyes got blinded for the second time today.

"I'm Utsuruko Mio, you can call me Io," I smiled back in return. I didn't think that I blinded his eyes though. Darn.

The second I finished my introduction, I felt the same shiver run down my back. Immediately, I looked around for Sakuraba's friend.

Surely enough, there he was, standing on the field with his intense gaze fixated on me. I wasn't a person who would back down from a staring contest, so I stared at him with the same amount of intensity.

Well, maybe not _as_ much.

Noticing our little 'contest', Sakuraba waved his hand in front of me. "Um, are you okay?"

I immediately responded: "Yeah, I'm fine. Gotta run for the Debate club though. See you around!" I smiled and ran as quickly as I could towards building A.

**A/N: Hey, I'm OddChicken. I thought that putting the A/N at the end of the chapter would be better, so here it is! I just want to say I'm sorry if OCs bother you; I really wanted to write a Shin story that is non-yaoi (because I've never tried that before) and I just can't see him with Wakana, mainly because I have plans for her later. Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter! It will get longer later on! (I think?) So yeah, wanna click the little box and give me a review? I like constructive criticism, too! :)**


	2. Say What?

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

><p>"Honey, are you sure you don't need a ride to school?" Mum asked me.<p>

I nodded, "yeah, I'm sure Mum, I'll just walk."

"Okay, sweetie. Have fun at school," Mum kissed my forehead and with that I ran out the door.

The morning air felt so fresh; I didn't want to miss it just because I got too lazy to take a walk. I stretched a bit before continuing my journey to school.

Yesterday's debate club wasn't so bad; they didn't scold me or anything for being late. In fact, they actually welcomed me pretty warmly. There were cream puffs and everything! I had no clue where they got those, but they tasted pretty good.

I took out a small mirror from my book bag and examined my appearance as I walked. My long black hair still looked a bit frizzy—but that was the way it has always been. I parted my bang to the left and turned my head, making sure that I looked alright. I glanced down my pale legs that were covered with over knee black socks. They weren't as long as a model's, but they were long enough to make me happy.

I looked back at the mirror, checking my deep-brown doe eyes that I always thought were my best feature. I used to try to make them look smaller, but after figuring out that no amount of makeup could make these babies look small, I grew to like them. My nose was quite pronounced and medium sized. Most of my facial features I got from my dad and to be honest, I was completely content with how I looked.

If there were something I didn't quite like about myself, it was the fact that my cheeks were quite chubby. They weren't proportional to my body size, and no matter what I did, they wouldn't go away. So I settled with the fact that this was probably the best for me. After all, I got it from my Mum and she looked great!

My dad was a diplomat; he travels to a lot of countries a lot of the times. He was rarely home. But whenever he was, he always made sure that he hasn't missed a thing that has happened in my life. My mum was an accountant for a medium sized bank. We lived well enough so that she wouldn't have to work, but I guessed she just got lonely being at home alone with the maids all the time.

Slapping my cheek to get myself back to reality, I smiled one last time before flipping my mirror closed and putting it in my bag.

At least, I was _trying_ to.

Before I crashed into a guy—I think. I stumbled back and almost fell, if not for my quick reflexes that took complete control of my feet and supported me, regaining my balance. That was when I felt strong arms supporting my back and my right arm, accompanied by a shiver running down through my spine. With one eye closed, I looked up.

Yep, it was that guy alright.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"A-ah, yeah! I'm fine—"

My head snapped in realization that I wasn't holding my mirror anymore. I looked around for it, twisting and turning my body until I finally saw it on the ground, shattered into pieces.

"Awh..." I lamented over my broken mirror. That mirror was my favourite; I got it from my dad when he came home from Russia. There were rhinestones on the back of the mirror; it reminded me of him whenever I held it.

I looked back at the guy who was holding me. He looked straight back. I didn't blame him; I was clumsy. I was going to break it sooner or later, might as well be sooner right?

I sighed and looked up into his eyes.

"Mind letting me go?" I asked nicely.

He didn't say anything, but he acquiesced and let go of his hold on my arm and back.

"What are you doing this early? It's still 6.30, we have school at 08.00," I checked his appearance, "and you're not in your uniform either."

"Training," he answered shortly.

"For what?"

"Christmas Bowl."

I put both my hands on my hips, "I'd appreciate long answers too, but okay. Um, what's this Christmas bowl you're talking about?"

He stared at me. I think he just couldn't be bothered to explain to me. And I couldn't be bothered to wait for an answer either.

"Well, I'll see you around, I guess," I patted his shoulder and passed him.

"Wait."

I stopped in my tracks and faced him, "what is it?"

"Yesterday..." I waited for him to continue, "where did you say you were going?"

"Yesterday? You mean when I crashed into Koharu?"

He nodded.

"Well, I was on my way to the debate club. Why?"

"Have you ever done a 40-yard dash?"

That question baffled me. Not only did I not use yard as a unit of measurement, I also thought it was some sort of idiom or something. Don't blame me, I had never watch football.

"40-yard dash? Well, um, I'm not sure what that is, but I'm pretty quick on the tracks?" I answered with another question.

He didn't say anything. He looked as if he was deep in thoughts. I really didn't want to bother him but it just seemed like something fun to do. I restrained, though.

"Uh hey? Are you still there?" I waved a hand in front of him, which he immediately grabbed.

I yelped in surprise, "wha-what's wrong?"

"Do you have gym today?"

Wait, _whaaaat_?

"...Do you have gym today?" he repeated the question.

"Err... yeah. Why?"

"Which period?"

'_Why wouldn't he answer my questions?'_ I sighed. "Um... 3rd period I guess," I shrugged.

He seemed to be thinking for a while, then with the utmost certainty (or at least, it seemed that way to me) said, "meet me after gym on the field."

He then let go of my hand and started to run on the opposite track, leaving me stupefied.

"Wa-wait!" I called out.

He stopped and turned his head, facing me.

"What's your name?"

He paused before saying, "Shin. Shin Seijuuro."

I wrapped my arms around my body, not exactly comfortable with saying the next statement. My eyes found a _very_ interesting spot on the ground; it had an interesting looking white stone on it. "Well, thanks for catching me, Shin!"

He nodded and continued on running.

* * *

><p>'<em>Haha! This time I'm going to be the first person in class!'<em> I thought proudly as I entered the Physics Lab, thick books kept safely in my arm. Bingo, it was almost empty. Mission accomplished. I sat on one of the middle tables and set everything down, then waited expectantly for the next student to arrive. No one did.

'_What did you expect, there's still 30 minutes until the bell,'_ I slumped on the white table, placing my head on my book bag, slowly dozing off to sweet, sweet dormancy.

* * *

><p>"Ms. Utsuruko? Ms. Utsuruko? Wake up this instant!"<p>

I let out a strange 'eep' as I heard a loud sound close to my ear. I turned around and what do you know, there was an old man, around 50 years of age, glaring at me. At the same time, I heard giggles and chuckles echoed throughout the classroom.

It took me a few seconds to let everything sink in.

'_Okay, so I'm in class... That person is the teacher... Crap! I must've dozed off!'_

"I-I am _so_ sorry Mr...?" I, ever so discreetly, asked for his name. He returned it with a glare.

"Let's make sure this never happen again, is that clear Ms. Utsuruko?" I nodded vigorously.

"So as I was saying—"

I exhaled loudly. '_Second day and I'm dozing off already?'_ I slapped myself on the forehead.

"Hey, don't give yourself a hard time, he's always like that with everyone," I heard a light laugh.

"Ah, Sakuraba!" he gave a nod in acknowledgement, "you're in this class too?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," he continued chuckling. "Sorry about that, I wanted to wake you up, but you looked so peaceful," he apologized.

"Don't worry about it," I waved it off, "I'm used to this. So, what are we learning about now?"

"Uh... I'm not sure... Physics isn't something I can understand..." his voice trailed off as he looked to the other side. I saw his cheeks turning red from the corner of my perspective.

I giggled. "I think I can help you with that. I may not look it, but I'm pretty damn good at Physics," I tapped on my head with my finger to emphasize my point.

Sakuraba looked at me and smiled, "alright, I'm ready to learn, teach."

* * *

><p>So apparently, I had gym with Koharu. After changing into my gym clothes, I walked out of the girls' locker room with Koharu, running towards the field.<p>

Our gym class was separated into two: one for boys and one for girls. Though I didn't see the point of it—since we were probably going to do the same thing—I didn't argue.

It was a cloudy day, something I very much appreciate. We stood up in rows of five, waiting for our teacher to give us further instruction on what to do while the guys run around the field. After thinking for a while, our teacher told us to run around the field—see? Told you it was useless to divide the class—five times before reporting back to her. I guessed she was going to make us play dodge ball after we run or something.

At the count of three, all of us started running around the field. I ran alongside Koharu, glad that I had a friend to talk to as I run. Normally, I could finish this in four minutes tops if I run, but I felt like jogging today.

"I-io! Wait up! You're too fast!" Koharu said between gasps, slowing down her pace.

I stopped and jogged on the spot, "what's wrong?"

"You're... Too... _Quick_!" she said as she stopped completely, placing her palms on her knees. She swallowed and looked at me, "were you in track and field? You know... back there?"

"Yeah, I was," I nodded. "Come on, now, the coach is gonna lecture us if we don't start running again!" I grabbed her hand and started jogging forward, much to her resentment.

"Awh come on! Let's take a little break, _please_?" Koharu begged.

"We only have 700 meters left, why take a break now?" I laughed. Koharu sighed in defeat.

* * *

><p>I was right again; we played dodge ball for the rest of the lesson. I may be good with running, but dodge ball was a completely different thing. I could only do one thing: dodge. Pair me up with catching or throwing and you got yourself a recipe for a perfect failure.<p>

So naturally, when it was my team's turn to play, I was a little bit nervous. A throw, a catch and a dodge later, suddenly I was the only one left on our side of the field. Awkward? No. Nerve wracking? _Very much so_.

The rest of the team that were out were cheering me on, giving me random instructions I couldn't really hear. The only thing I did was dodge, dodge, and doge some more until the opposite team ran out of balls to throw.

'_Ohoho, this is gonna turn out great,' _I rolled my eyes. I picked up a maroon red ball from the ground and held it with both hands.

I sighed. _'Here goes nothing.'_

I raised my arm up and leaned back, and then I threw the ball with all my might with the slowest opponent as my aim. The ball flew across the team's area into the opponent's and ended up in the said slowest opponent's hands.

'_Crap.'_

The coach blew her whistle and yelled, "Reds win!" as she raised her free hand into the air. I slumped my back and sighed before grudgingly walked back to the side of the arena, both arms lazily dangling on my sides. Koharu laughed at my attempted throw—still—as she walked up to me with her arms still on her stomach. My 'rage' look just made her laugh ever harder.

"Okay ladies, next week we'll still be playing dodge ball; remember, this time, it will be counted towards your grade! The week after we'll have basketball," the coach announced after everyone has sat down around her. "Now you all have free time, go do whatever you want," she smirked, followed by cheers from the girls. They all stood up and started walking in all directions to God knows where. Before I had the chance to ask Koharu to get some juice with, she stormed off in the direction of building B. _'Weird, but okay.'_

I gathered myself and attempted to stand up. _'Finally, some free time. Can't wait to go over to the vending machine and buy myself some—'_ My thought were interrupted as I felt the back of my head hit something hard.

It was Shin Seijuuro's defined chin. He seemed to have shook a little when my hard-as-rock head hit him, but really, I couldn't tell the difference.

"Oh, hey Shin," I turned around and fully stood up, rubbing the location where my head had collided with that darn iron chin of his. Not that it hurt or anything. "What's up?"

He looked at me for a while before nodding his head to the direction of the grass field, saying, "40-yard dash."

"Huh? You want me to do it?"

Shin nodded surely. _'Why does he seem so set and stone about it? I don't wanna do it...'_ I looked to some other place. But then an idea struck my head.

"Hm... I don't know Shin. I don't really feel like running today. Those five laps and dodgeball have beaten my stamina up to smithereens," I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, carefully watching his reaction with my razor sharp eyes.

One of his full eyebrows rose up. _'Gotcha!'_

"What do you mean?" Shin enquires.

"Well," I rubbed the back of my neck, "I'm pretty tired you know..." He didn't seem to get it.

"But maybe... I'll do it if I hear a request," I smirked mischievously.

Ever so slightly, his head tilted to the left.

I pretended to sigh. "I'm so beaten up today... I mean, my most _precious_ mirror got broken," I sharpened my stare at him. No reaction. "And I had to win that dodgeball match by _myself..._"

"You lost," he stated emotionlessly. I gritted my teeth and scrunched my nose at him.

"Point is, Shin, what are the magic words?" I leaned forward to him, wrapping my hands behind my back, my smirk growing at an exponential rate.

My eyes caught him leaning backwards by a centimetre. He seemed a bit uncomfortable. But then again, he always frowned so the difference wasn't that great, but I saw how his frown deepened by a mere millimetre.

'_Look he's kinda pouting!'_ I smiled to myself. _'How cute—huh?'_

"Please... and thank you...?" I enunciated every word carefully, my dark eyes glinting in the late summer sun. By then, I knew that he was uncomfortable as hell. I know I haven't known him for that long, but I knew enough that he wasn't the type to say those words without a deep meaning.

He stayed still for the next minute or so. _'Time to drop the final bait.'_

"Well, if you don't want to say those _magic_ words, I might as well leave," I dramatically spun on my heels and started walking towards the vending machine at the very end of the field. I tried to suppress a chuckle that was forming inside me. Ah, I was so evil for putting him through this. _'Alright, stop teasing the poor guy,'_ I scolded myself.

I turned around and said, "Just joking, where should I—"

"Please... Do the 40-yard dash."

No words could describe how I felt at that exact moment. Triumphant? No. Amazed? Not quite. Flabbergasted? Hmm... Close enough.

I stared at him, mouth agape—my tongue was probably hanging out in the breezy early autumn air; unattractive, indeed—paired with widened doe eyes and a head that was tilted so far to the left you'd thought I had broken my spine or something. I must've looked crazy weird to the people around. It took me two whole minutes for everything to sink down. I fixed my posture, closed my mouth and walked towards Shin, still a bit skeptical about what he said.

"You'll get the other words after you do it," he said firmly, his eyes averted to the figures moving around on the field. I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or ashamed; I honestly thought he wouldn't do it.

'_Wow, he must really want me to do it,'_ I thought in amazement.

"Well?" Shin looked back at me, his piercing black eyes gazing at my own deep brown. I gulped before nodding slowly. He turned his back to me and started walking towards the field while I follow quietly behind.

"Oh, hey Shin! You doing the 40-yard dash again?" greeted Sakuraba. Shin shook his head and pointed at me using his head. I waved shyly. "Io? _You're_ doing the 40-yard dash?" the blond guy questioned me, to which I nodded slowly.

"I'll be counting your time at the end of the track," Shin told me before running to the said destination. _'Whoa... He's quick,' _I thought.

Shin picked up a small yellow stop watch from the bench near the track and shouted, "At the count of three..."

My heart was racing. I wasn't sure what I was meant to do. Did I only have to run to the white line at the far end? It seemed too simple.

"Three!"

Shin's yell snapped me out of my train of thoughts and I tried my best to run to where Shin was. Around 5 seconds later, I arrived. Not my best time; probably because I didn't start nor concentrate properly.

"Ah!" I heard Sakuraba yelled from my starting point, his large hands on his head. He jogged over to Shin, who was staring intently at the yellow contraption in his hand. Shin looked rather quizzical as Sakuraba freaked out beside him. I walked over to the duo and asked what was wrong.

Shin looked at me with a questioning look and Sakuraba repeatedly moved his eyes up and down at the stopwatch.

Or, what seemed to be a stopwatch.

I guffawed so hard I had almost forgotten to breathe. Who would've known that Shin Seijuuro of the famous Oujo American Football club would be a complete _caveman_ when it comes to technology?

Shin just stared at the gears and whatnot on his hand, oblivious to the situation. Sakuraba sighed and offered to take my time, to which Shin had no protest against. Not that he would protest, though, the guy was as quite as a mouse.

It took almost five minutes for me to calm down. By calm down, I meant until my stomach settled in and everything. I was still chuckling as I jogged back to the starting point.

"Okay, at the count of three!" Sakuraba yelled, a new stop watch in his hand. I think he took another one from the bench; there were loads of those. I nodded in response and prepared myself.

"One!" I calmed my racing heart down by taking deep breaths in long successions.

"Two!" I focused my mind and concentrated on the finish line, my left foot pressured onto the ground, leaving a distinct shoe print.

"Three!" Sakuraba hollered as he clicked the small button located at the top of the stopwatch.

Time seemed to have stopped.

I placed one foot in front of the other with ease, feeling the wind brushed against my face. My heart was pumping loudly as I succeeded to control my breathing. Everything beside me blurred; I could only see spots of green and little stick figures fading in and out as I ran. The only spot that was perfectly visible to me was the finish line, and I was approaching that place _fast_.

As soon as my foot touched the apparent white line, I heard a small click. I stopped abruptly and turned around to the source of the click, which turned out to be Sakuraba. His eyes were wide as he eyed the small monitor of the stopwatch.

I smiled and joyfully jogged over to him. Running has always made me feel refreshed; it made me feel as if nothing else in this world mattered. "So, what's my time?" I peeked at the stopwatch as I rose to my tiptoes. _'Damn, this guy is tall.'_

"Fo-Four point three seconds..." Sakuraba stuttered as he turned his head to look at me. I beamed.

"Woo hoo! That's my best time yet!" I jumped around in joy. "Well, that _was_ my second time doing that dash," I chuckled.

I noticed the strange look Sakuraba was giving me. "What's wrong? I'm pretty fast, aren't I?" I asked smugly.

"Not just pretty fast... You're _really_ fast..." Sakuraba replied in disbelief. "Are you—"

"The former star of the Track and Field of Hotaru Academy? Why yes, I am!" I jokingly said as I puffed up my chest and hit it twice with my palm. "Hold the autograph please, I'm—"

"I knew it," Shin cut my sentence in half. He faced me and stared at me intensely.

I shuddered again. This time it was different. There was something aggressive, ambitious, in it. I didn't feel very comfortable, so I wrapped an arm around myself and stared at the grass, twirling my right foot on the ground. Additionally, Sakuraba stared at me, too, making me feel double the uncomfortable. The silence lasted for quite an amount of time.

Finally, I spoke. "I-I'm sorry if I sounded smug... I was just joking; I know I'm not that fast," I tried to laugh at the end of the sentence and failed. I was greeted by a wall of silence.

The increasingly heavy aura around me suffocated me. I couldn't take it anymore.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go over there and buy myself some juice," I tried to smile as I pointed at the vending machine. I started to jog when Shin caught my arm. I turned around, surprised, to his face that clearly showed a strong ambition.

"Wha-what is it, Shin...?" Here we go with the small voice.

"Train with me."

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><p><strong>AN: There we go! I had fun writing this chapter, I hope you had fun reading it, too. :) Special mention to **SasoLOVE111 **for giving me a review! I tried my best to describe her without being too detailed, hopefully it wasn't too boring :)**** Leave me a review to let me know how I'm doing? I won't bite, don't worry :D**

**Oh yeah, I almost forgot, major ShinxMio moment coming up! :3**


	3. Psycho Killers and Dead Batteries

**CHAPTER THREE**

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><p>I dropped myself on my soft, bouncy bed, placing my hands underneath my head. Searching for my white duvet, my eyes settled on a music box atop of my end table. Behind it settled my little lamp made of coloured glass and a small alarm clock. My phone laid still beside it, its charm dangling off my wooden table.<p>

I turned to my stomach and reached for the lamp, turning it on. It was getting dark outside; the sun was slowly going down, the sky changing into a deep purple colour. With one hand, I took the music box and held it with both hands as I stared at it.

The music box was very old, ancient even. Atop it, a ballerina figure stood proudly, one leg raised high with both arms up, gathering at the air high above her head. She was wearing a pink tutu that had faded into a pale pink, her blonde hair gathered into a neat bun behind her head. A white, fluffy crown settled on top of her head, giving her a look of endless elegance and beauty.

I sighed before grabbing the key on the back of the music box and winding it anti-clockwise. The Swan Lake filled my room as the ballerina twirled and pirouetted endlessly. I stared at it for a while, recalling the events of the day.

"_Train with me."_

I sighed for the second time and turned to my side, still admiring the twirling figurine. I still couldn't believe that Shin had asked me to train with him! The famous linebacker of Oujo! What was he _thinking_?

I sat up on my bed and placed the music box to its original place before walking over to the big window located at the other side of my room. Pushing the white ruffled curtain out of the way gently, I placed my free hand on the window and gazed at the changing sky.

_'Maybe I shouldn't have run away from his offer like that,'_ I banged my forehead on the window.

That's right, I ran away from Shin as soon as I heard the last word came out of his mouth. I acted based on impulse and ran away, just because I didn't want to burden myself with training another person. As selfish as that was, I still hoped that he could understand why I did that.

Maybe he could've, but considering how I avoided him and Sakuraba like crazy for the rest of the day, he might not _want_ to.

"Mio! I'm home!" my mother's voice was heard from downstairs. "I brought Chinese take-away with me! Would you like tangerine chicken or sweet and sour pork?" I heard her set down the plastic bag and rustled it as she tried to get the food out.

I quickly changed into a pair of gray training pants and a loose white t-shirt before grabbing my silver iPod nano, a hair tie, and my phone. I shoved them into my pocket forcefully as I skipped down the stairs, putting the earphones into my ear.

"Mio? Where are you going at this time of the night?" my mother asked when she saw me putting on my running shoes.

"Just running, ma. I'll be back at eight," I explained as I grabbed my house keys from the desk near the front door, opening the door.

I heard my Mum sighed. "Well, at least take a jacket with you. The forecast said it might rain today," she said as she crossed her arms.

"I'm just gonna run for a bit, ma, I'll be back before you knew it," I smiled at her before sprinting out of our house, then the iron fence. I heard her shouted something about curfew but I ignored it and continued on running. Funny thing, the joyful feeling that normally rises up within me the moment I run wasn't there. I shrugged and continued running, thinking that it would probably come a bit later.

I wasn't very familiar with this place yet, so I thought that running around would be a good way for me to memorize the streets. I turned my iPod on, letting rock songs blast into my ear. I dashed straight, then turned right, following the road down and up the hill, then turned left, sticking to the main road.

Or at least, I was trying to.

'_Crap, I'm lost,'_ I thought as I jogged in place, examining my environments carefully. _'I can't be that far from home, right?'_

There weren't a lot of lights, nor were there any people. How could I have gotten here was a complete mystery even to myself, but then again I was prone to getting lost.

I tried to remember the way here, but everything was just a blank. I knew I wasn't good with memorizing, but I've always been able to go back to where I came from somehow, no matter where I was. The fact that I was unable to at that moment scared me. The fact that I could barely see anything beyond five meters down the road scared me. The fact that I was alone scared me.

_'Maybe this is my punishment for being mean and unreasonable to Shin,'_ I sighed. I've always believed in karma, mainly because I thought it was on my side. Whenever my friends were being mean to me, something bad always happen to them later. That was when I started to think that Karma and I were best friends. That was also the moment when I started to feel double the guilt when I think I've done something wrong.

I laughed at my own aberration softly and looked up at the full moon.

_'I was mean for laughing at him when he broke the stop watch, too... Definitely could've been more considerate,'_ I giggled sadly. "I mean, it wasn't his fault he's such a tech—"

As the realization hit me, I quickly searched for my phone in my pocket. Once I was quite sure that I had it in my hand, I pulled it out and flipped it up, my eyebrows rising in anticipation. I let out a yell of frustration.

_Battery dead._

"Argh!" I glared up at the sky. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have been that mean to him!_ Happy?_!" I shouted at what I perceived as 'Karma'. My guilt and anger was taking over me like there was no tomorrow.

After a moment of complete silence passed, my eyes started to sting and my nose got a bit runny.

"Wait, _no_, I am _not_ going to start crying in the middle of nowhere!" I rubbed my arm roughly against my nose. Luckily, no mucus got on it. "I'm Utsuruko Mio! I'm not gonna back down just because _you_ decided to go against me!" I raised my fist to the sky.

Yes, I was aware of how stupid and unreasonable I was being. But at that moment, I couldn't care less. Brashly, I took my hair tie and tied my hair back tightly, wincing at the prickles felt on my tender scalp.

I started running forward really quickly, making turns when I deemed fit. Out of nowhere, I felt a small branch hit my right cheek. Yelling a string of curse words, I rubbed my cheek roughly and continued on running.

Gradually, the amount of tree branches that hit my cheeks increased. I wasn't able to dodge most of them due to the lack of lighting present at that time. After the fifth time my cheeks got hit, I decided to stop rubbing them and ran even faster, ignoring every other branch that slapped me in the face.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a crackle from a twig that wasn't stepped on by me. I turned my head around madly, trying to make out my surroundings. The only source of light available at that time was the moon; my iPod and phone deciding to die some time ago accompanied by the lack of street light along the path.

I heard another crackle of a tree branch.

My eyes widened beyond proportion. I couldn't find the source of the sound. My head was throbbing with fear; my heart pumping blood wildly all throughout my body. I held myself when I felt goose bumps rising to my pale skin, shivers running to every corner of my body. No matter how hard I had tried to calm down, I couldn't. I was horribly afraid of anything I can't see—anything I can't comprehend.

Ever so slightly, I heard sound of heavy breaths. My impulse acted out and I ran straight forward, without having any specific destination. I only wanted to get out of there fast. As fast as I possibly could.

'_Faster... Faster... Faster!'_ I commanded my body with my mind, quickening my pace at the same time. I felt tears coming out of my eyes, but still attempted to restrain them.

'_Why did I decide to go running? Why couldn't I just eat the take away food with Mum at home? Why—'_

"Oof!"

I crashed into something.

Hard.

"Do you make a habit out of crashing into people?"

A violent shiver ran through my spine. _'Co-Could it be...?'_ I asked my mind frantically.

"Shi-Shin?" I tried to assure myself it was him. Regardless of how guilty I was feeling toward this one particular person, I wanted it to be him. _So much_.

The person I crashed into didn't say anything for a while. I was getting scared out of my wits when I thought of the possibility of it being some freak I didn't know. Some psycho killer. Some insane—

"Yes?"

Relief washed over my heart as I heard him answer. The tears that were threatening to spill surged out of my eyes relentlessly, no matter how hard I tried to keep them in. I threw my arms around him, enveloping him in a hug as I sobbed—I tried really hard not to—into his hoodie. I felt him moving backwards a bit, probably in surprise, the moment I latched my hands together.

"Shin!" I wailed as I hugged him tighter, feeling the wetness of my own tears on his hoodie.

Shin was silent for a few seconds. "...I wasn't serious when I implied that you have a habit of crashing into people."

I didn't know whether it was my messed up head or anything, but at that time, Shin's voice sounded soft. Well, soft_er_ than usual. I tensed up a bit when I felt an awkward touch on my shoulder that left as soon as it came, but I figured it was Shin trying to comfort me. The second time his hand come around I relaxed my muscles, letting his hand rest on my shoulder blade as I hugged him even tighter.

* * *

><p>"I got lost," I explained shortly.<p>

A while ago, Shin thought that it might be nicer if we started jogging; I could clear my mind and he could continue on training. That was _after_ I realized that I was hugging a person to whom I owe an apology (also, a person I haven't known for very long nor have gotten very friendly with) and released my hug too suddenly, resulting in my fall into a puddle of mud. I didn't think that my mother would be so pleased when she sees my pants' condition.

"How?" Shin asked simply.

"Well..." I tried averting my gaze so I wouldn't look stupid, "I was trying to clear my mind by running. At the same time, I thought I can figure out this place, you know? The streets and all?" I gestured to the street and houses around us. Thankfully, Shin had gotten us out of the park—that was a _park_? More like the pathway to hell—and now we're jogging along the _actual_ main road.

Shin glanced at me. "And you thought the best time to do it would be at night?"

He wasn't being sarcastic, just genuinely curious. Maybe there was a bit of sarcasm laced, but I didn't mind.

I shrugged as I jog, "well, better than sitting in the corner of my room looking at google map."

"True."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I turned my head to Shin so quickly my neck made a cracking noise.

"Hmm?" he responded. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Well, no, but you were meant to say 'no, of course not! You have a great memory, Miss Io!'" I clamped my hands and put them to the side of my chin, batting my eyelashes.

"I was?"

I glared at him for not cooperating. "Well, you're being unusually chatty tonight," I pointed out nonchalantly as I quickened my pace. I had no clue where I was going, but I thought if I get lost, Shin would know the way. Over-dependent? Maybe so.

"I am?" Shin lengthened his strides and caught up with me in no time.

"It's a good thing," I grinned at him. I thought I saw his lips curve up a bit, but the poor lighting was really affecting my vision.

I slowed down when I felt a little tap on the top of my nose. I reached my finger and swiped it, trying to see what sort of liquid had dropped on my face while hoping for the best (because you know, I wouldn't want that to be bird poop). I stopped completely when I felt another tap on my arm, then another on my head.

"Hey Shin," I called him. Shin stopped and turned his body to face me.

"What is it, Mio?"

I was taken aback by that response. That was the first time somebody had said my name without me telling them what it was. "How did you know my name?"

"I overheard you talking to Sakuraba that time, and you're in my English class," he walked over to me. "What is it?"

Raising an eyebrow, I eyed him skeptically, but went back to the main topic. "Is it raining? I've been getting these drops of water."

Shin held out his hand then replied, "Yes, it seems like it." He then pulled his hood over his head. "Let's continue."

"E-Eh? Alright," I ignored the droplets of rain that continued pelting on my head and picked up my pace, running alongside the strong linebacker.

The wind blew stronger as the rain droplets increased by a bucket load, and I struggled to cover my head and see what was in front of me at the same time. My eyes were blinking a lot quicker, trying to filter the water and dust that the wind blew to me but to no avail. I stopped for a bit and rubbed my eyes furiously, trying to get the dirt out of them.

Shin seemed to have noticed that I stopped and jogged back to me. "What's wrong?"

"I can't get this dirt out of my eyes!" I whined and rubbed harder. "Honestly, why can't this stupid dirt—ah, there we go," I said, content with the dust out of my big eyes. Shin was looking at me in that serious way of his; I felt like I was being examined. "Wh-what?"

"Why aren't you wearing your jacket? You're going to get sick," he commented on my half-soaked shirt and dripping hair.

"Well, I didn't bring one with," I shrugged, "and I won't get sick, I've got a strong immune system, you know!" I finished with a big, confident grin. "Let's continue," I started jogging, but stopped once I realized that he wasn't moving.

"Hey, Shin? Let's jog; don't wanna miss out on that training of yours now, do ya'?" I chuckled. I gasped dramatically and took a step back when I saw what Shin was doing.

Shin was _stripping_.

Oh wait, never mind, I saw his shirt poking out from under his hoodie.

'_Damn, that shirt is covering his—no! What the hell am I thinking?'_ I smacked my cheeks with my hands so hard, it looked like I was blushing. I pouted as I tried to ignore the pain blossoming on my cheeks. The slapping branches from earlier just wasn't enough for me, you know?

"Here," Shin tossed me his gray hoodie, which I somehow managed to catch. He then proceeded to pull his white t-shirt down, completely covering his upper body.

I tilted my head to the left, "what do you want me to do with this?"

He looked at me like it was the most obvious thing on the planet while retaining his trademark frown. It was fascinating, really.

"Wear it. It's going to keep your body warm."

The way it had come out made it sound like an order. I doubted that hypothesis for a moment before looking at his face. He nodded at his half-wet hoodie, gesturing me to wear it.

"Are you sure? You're going to get sick, you know," I held it in my hands as he jogged past me.

"I've controlled my intake of vitamin C. I won't get sick from running in this kind of rain."

I jogged to keep the conversation up, "And I will?"

Shin looked at my arms, "well, you _do_ seem emaciated."

Oh, _now_ I know he was being honest. I wasn't just skinny, I was almost _scrawny_. My arms literally looked like bones covered with only skin. No meat, just skin—okay, maybe a _bit_ of meat. I've tried really hard to gain weight in the past, but my fast metabolism just wouldn't let me do it.

Grudgingly, I put on his hoodie and pulled the hood over my head. Mumbling a small thanks, I ran to catch up with him.

We spent the rest of the jog in silence.

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><p><strong>AN: Phew, that's it folks! Chapter three is finally finished! Special thanks to **SasoLOVE111 **and **xMoonlightx **for reviewing! Your reviews really made my week :) Leave me a review if you have any suggestion; constructive criticism is very much appreciated, too :) Finally learnt how to enable the anonymous review thingy, so yeah... Let me know how I did? :3**

**Until chapter four, everyone~!**


	4. The Textile Quandary

**CHAPTER FOUR**

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><p>I lied.<p>

We didn't spend the rest of the jog in silence. Actually, it was anything _but_ silent.

You see, what happened was...

* * *

><p><em>I kept on glancing back and forth, from the hoodie I was wearing, to the person who owned it, then back. A surge of guilt swept my heart, making me sprint suddenly. I stopped precisely in front of Shin Seijuuro, the owner of the hoodie, who kept on jogging in place when I tried to hold him off.<em>

_We had another staring contest, which I _won_._

_I lied again, I'm sorry._

_Upon losing the staring contest, I started to take off his warm hoodie. "Here, take your hoodie back. I don't feel right wearing it."_

_See, I thought that would make me seem über cool, except that my head got stuck at the neckline. Poo._

"_No," Shin replied as I struggled to get my head through the hole. He grabbed the hem of his hoodie and pulled it back down to my thighs. It was a bit too big for me, but I sort of liked the size. It concealed my scrawny body perfectly._

"_No! Shin, let _go_!" I tried to pull the hem back up, but Shin held it still. _

_It turned out to a full-blown, loud—well, mostly it was just me screaming for him to let go—tug-of-war which I ended up losing. Again. But hey, I was at a disadvantage, it was _hard_ to pull your own hoodie up when there was a guy who could bench press well over 100kg as your opponent._

_As I lost, I slumped and panted hardly, glaring at Shin who was as composed as ever. "Keep it on," he said and started to jog again._

'Oh no, not this time.'

_I grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him. When that failed, I used another arm. When _that_ failed, I hugged his arm and pushed my feet as strongly as I could to the ground. Thankfully, he stopped, because I was running out of plans to stop him._

"_I feel guilty. This is _your_ hoodie. You should wear it," I tried my best puppy dog face._

"_No," was Shin's final answer._

"_Well, if you won't take it back, can't we at least take shelter somewhere for some time? I won't be able to forgive myself if I get you sick," I pleaded. "Please, Shin?"_

"_...Alright," he complied and I squealed with joy. "Do you see anywhere we can take shelter in?"_

_I looked around before spotting lone, empty bus stop. I pointed excitedly at it while explaining Shin how that would be the perfect spot for us to take shelter. Shin just stood there and listened—he'd better be—adding nods here and there. I grabbed his hand with both of mine and dragged him toward the glowing bus stop._

_It was green and small. But it had a roof and lights, as well as some glass walls to keep the rain and wind away. Not to mention, there was a small bench, enough for both of us to sit! It was _perfect_._

_As I stepped into the bus stop, I sighed with delight. It was warmer, brighter, and quite comfortable. I sat down on the bench and patted the space beside me, quietly telling Shin to sit down. He nodded and sat down beside me, his eyes staring at the road in front of us._

'Oh yeah! His hoodie!'_ I thought. Quickly, I took off his hoodie—there was no embarrassing moment this time—and shuddered at the coldness before folding it neatly and poking his right shoulder._

"_Here you go! I don't need it anymore since it's not windy here!" I held it in front of him as soon as he turned his head, grinning from ear to ear. He looked at me for a while before turning his head to the opposite direction._

"_No, wear it."_

"_What? No! I don't need this anymore! You're probably really cold right now and I don't think that you would like to be sick!" I protested and poked his shoulder with the hoodie. When I got no reaction, I poked him harder, and the pokes later turned into slaps._

"_Take it, Shin! You're _soaked_! You need all the warmth you can get!" I yelled. Luckily, the streets were empty except for a passing car or two._

"_No, Mio."_

"_Why not? Are you trying to be a gentleman? Well this is not the time—"_

"_That's not it," Shin cut off my sentence with his head still turned to the left._

_I glared daggers at the black haired guy beside me, but that was when I noticed something out of the ordinary._

_His ears were tinted pink._

"_Shin, are you blushing?" I asked bluntly._

"_No," Shin replied coolly. I knew he was lying, so I bugged him._

"_Why are you blushing Shin?"_

"_I'm not."_

_I cackled like a maniac before pursuing him with random questions, mostly in attempts of mocking his current appearance—or at least, what I could see at that time, which was only the back of his head and a bit of his pink ear. He kept on denying them all, it was very entertaining—to me, at least. Feeling the pain in the pit of my stomach from laughing too much, I clutched it and doubled over. Then my laughter stopped abruptly._

My shirt was see-through. _The water must've seeped in through the hoodie and into my white shirt!_

_My eyes widened in horror as I realized that he was probably looking away because he saw my bra. How embarrassing was that? And I _teased_ him about it! _

"_Um... Shin?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you mind if I wear your hoodie for some time?" I asked shyly, my cheeks red like cherry._

"_Did you find out about your shirt?"_

_I sighed in embarrassment. "Yes..."_

"_Go ahead. Wear it."_

_I nodded quietly as I put on his hoodie once again. Silence clouded over us for some minutes._

"_Hey Shin?"_

_He didn't respond, but I could tell he was listening because then he was willing to look forward._

"_Did you see?"_

"_No."_

_That response was too quick._

"_Are you sure?" I raised my eyebrows, deciding to tease him again._

"_Yes," Shin answered, calmer this time. But he couldn't control the little pink tinge that was starting to form on his cheeks._

'Aww, how cute!' _I giggled before halting quickly, trying to get rid of that misleading thought. _

"_Are you_ sure_, Shin? You weren't... _tempted_ by my captivating body?" I started to grin, leaning forward to see his expression._

"_No," Shin turned to look at me. I raised an eyebrow. "All I saw was my hoodie, nothing else. Besides, based on what I have heard in the locker room so far, your body is far from captivating."_

_I gasped loudly. That _burnt. _But then my ear twitched in awareness._

"_Shin? How did you know that my body is 'far from captivating' without looking at it?" I did air quotes as I mimicked what he said. Shin went silent for a while._

"_I did calculations on your measurements based on the size of your arms."_

"_That's the best comeback you've got?" I taunted. "You can't calculate precise measurements based on my arms' measurement alone, Shin. And even if you could, why were you blushing?" I asked as innocently as I could, batting my eyelashes at him._

_Shin didn't retaliate and looked away from me, who was guffawing uncontrollably at that moment. Finally, I won! Shin crossed his arms and looked the other way as he waited for my laughter to die down. Eventually, it did, and I sighed happily as it did._

"_Hey, Shin?" I said as I leaned against the glass._

"_...Yes?"_

_I giggled, "don't worry, I'm not going to tease you this time," I nudged his shoulder. I inhaled the cold night air deeply._

"_I'm sorry."_

_Shin turned to look at me, arms still crossed in front of his chest. I looked at him and gave a bashful smile._

"_I'm sorry for running away from you today. Also for teasing you—although I don't really regret that as much as the former," I laughed a little. "I'm sorry for avoiding you, too. I was just really confused of what to do at that time," I let out a small sigh and looked up to the clouded sky. I felt his stare on my face and continued._

"_Also, thanks for finding me today and staying with me the whole night. I know I've been eating up your training time... Sorry about that, too. Oh yeah, and sorry for getting your hoodie wet," I said, flapping my arms up and down, hinting at the drying hoodie._

"_Well—" Shin tried to say something, but I cut him off._

"_That's why, to make up for your time I used today, I will train with you."_

_Shin's eyes widened by a fraction and I smiled at him. "I might not be that good of a training partner, but I'll try my best!" I pumped my fist in excitement. "What do you normally do for training anyways?" I wondered out loud._

"_A lot."_

"_By a lot, do you mean like tackling and receiving and stuff?" Shin nodded. "Then I guess I'll just help you with your speed training," I laughed nervously, picturing how I would do in a tackling practice. It didn't look very pretty._

_Shin looked at me, and in all seriousness, said, "Thank—"_

"_Up up up!" I cut him off. "Eye for an eye Shin," I winked at him as I gave him a grin. "No need to say thanks."_

* * *

><p>After the rain had stopped, which was like, two hours later, Shin showed me the way back to my house and even walked me there. Surprising, since I thought that he would be waking up early to train again. Wouldn't he be tired?<p>

As I waved goodbye to Shin, I turned to the front door of my house. I rustled my pocket for my house keys and slowly unlocked the door. I stepped into my house as quietly as possible, trying not to wake my mother up. I looked up to the wall clock and flinched when I saw that it was two o'clock in the morning.

"Utsuruko Mio! Where have you _been_?"

Oh, no. I knew this tone. It was the one she used to scold me whenever I got a bad grade or broke an expensive vase. I closed my eyes as I heard her footsteps coming closer to me, expecting a great big lecture on how to stick to my curfew and whatnot.

I opened my eyes when I realized she was hugging me. "Mum..."

"Do you know how _worried_ I was? I almost sent a search party for you!" She trembled as she hugged me. Not liking how my mother seemed so vulnerable, I reached out and hugged her back tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mum... I got lost. I was about to call you but my phone ran out of battery..." I explained as briefly and as concisely as possible.

After a good amount of time, my mum released me and wiped a tear off of her hazel eyes. "Well, it's good that you're safe now, Mio," she smiled with relief and kissed my forehead. "Your tangerine chicken is still there, you can heat it up in the microwave, love," she directed me to the kitchen.

I took the chicken that was wrapped in a plastic container and pushed it into the microwave, setting it to two minutes.

"Anyway, how did you get back?" my mum enquired. She was leaning on one of our leather counter chairs, drinking a cup of coffee she took from the island. It seemed like she was drinking a lot of those just to wait for me, you could tell from the dark bags that were starting to form underneath her eyes.

I felt a pang of guilt. _'I'll definitely make this up to her,' _I promised to myself.

"Well, mum... That's—"

"And where did you get that hoodie? I've never seen it before... It's a bit too big for you, don't you think?" she started to think, placing her empty coffee cup onto the marble-topped island, near the coffee maker.

"See, mum, I was—"

"Is that a boy's?" she cut me off again with a mischievous question. I was trying not to let anything show on my face, but she knew me too well.

"Oh, my little Mio already has a _boyfriend_! Wait until you Dad hears about this!" she shouted jubilantly, throwing her pyjama clad arms into the air. "What's his name? What does he look like? When did you meet him? Oh, is he an upperclassman?" she got closer and closer to me with each question, eyes gleaming like the northern star.

I tried my best to dodge the barrage of questions directed at me as simply as possible. "Uh... He's not my boyfriend, mum! End of story!"

Smart comeback, that was.

Just in time, the microwave beeped repeatedly, signalling that the heating process was done. Quickly, I opened the microwave door and took my dinner, grabbing a pair of chopsticks from the counter a second later and started to run up.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend, Ma!" I yelled again, just to get my point across. I ran up the stairs and into my room. "Good night! Love you!" I said before shutting my door close.

For some odd reason, I could tell that my mother didn't really believe what I said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Very sorry for the short chapter! I honestly didn't have any more ideas of what to put in this chapter, but I still tried. Hopefully it was satisfactory :) Anyway, SPECIAL THANKS to **SasoLOVE111 **and **Random Person 94** for reviewing! Also, THANK YOU to all of you who have put this story into their alert/favourite list! I feel a lot more motivated to continue this story whenever I see any e-mail from FF regarding this story, haha :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.**


	5. Me No Like Water

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

><p>"Hey, Io, are you alright?"<p>

I snapped out of my trance and looked at Koharu who was waving her small hand in front of me.

"Are you alright?" she asked. I nodded and proceeded to lay my chin down on my hands, preparing for a short nap. But at that time, Koharu thought that it would be better to shake me awake.

Grudgingly, I looked up at her and asked, "what?"

"Our class is starting in 20 minutes," Koharu explained shortly, moving her body away from my perception so that I could see the half-full hallway from my seat at the small bench. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked again, not believing my first answer completely.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I stood up and took my bag from the bench. "What do we have?" I asked her.

"We have... chemisty," Koharu said after checking her schedule that was attached to her small purple organizer she always carried. I groaned at the mention of that subject and Koharu giggled.

"Come on, if we arrive early to the class you'll be able to get some shut eye," she linked her arm with mine and dragged me out of the Biology lab.

It's been two days since I got lost. I haven't done any training with Shin; we haven't gone into details about that. Besides, I couldn't reach him for these past two days—I guess he was too busy practicing with his teammates. I also didn't have any classes with him and he obviously didn't have a cell phone, so there was no way for me to communicate with him.

Koharu slide open the door to chemistry lab, the obvious scent of mixed chemicals infiltrating my olfactory sense. I gagged at the smell and covered my nose with my hand as Koharu pulled me toward the direction of a free table. We were one of the first students to arrive, and class wouldn't start for another 15 minutes.

Koharu laid down her bag before taking my bag and putting it on top of hers, then covering it with her sweater. "There you go! A custom made pillow just for you!" she presented to me.

I gave her a grateful smile and put my head gently on top of the soft sweater, before dozing off.

* * *

><p>"Io! Io! Wake up!" I felt my shoulder got shaken forcefully. I opened my eyes very slowly, trying to gain control over my unexplainably strong eyelids with a great desire to cover my sight once again. I forced my eyes to open and tried to sit up, but fell back down. My muscles felt incredibly weak, and it was getting harder for me to breathe.<p>

"Io!" I heard Koharu yelled in worry. "Excuse me, Ma'am, I don't think Io is feeling very well, may I take her to the nurse's office?"

I heard mumbles of agreement from the teacher and Koharu before feeling my left shoulder being picked up with the rest of my body following suit. I tried to see what was going on with one eye that was barely opened. Koharu was supporting my body with her smaller one, grabbing my left hand with hers, using her free hand to support my right shoulder.

'_I must weigh a lot...'_ I managed to think. I tried my best to stand up on my own, and even though it was a bit hard at first, Koharu managed to prop my body from falling down. She gave an excuse me to our teacher as I gave a weak nod, and she nodded firmly in response.

"Get well soon, Utsuruko. I'd very much like you to stay in my class," she gave me a warm smile as she opened the door for us to pass through. I gave a small smile and nodded before started to concentrate on moving my legs properly.

"Good God, Io, you shouldn't have come to school if you don't feel very well!" Koharu scolded me as she helped me walk.

"A-Ah? I didn't feel bad at all this morning." I lied.

"You liar," Koharu accused me with a small smile.

"Saw right through it, did you?" I gave a small laugh. "Sorry, I must be really heavy," I apologized as we trudged down the stairs. My nose started to get runny, and I cursed myself for not bringing a pack of tissue with.

"Actually, you're a lot lighter than I thought. How much do you weigh? 50kg?" Koharu easily guessed my weight.

"Haha, yeah. You must be really strong to be able to lift me with this much ease," I said before coughing.

"Are you okay? We can slow down if you'd like," she offered and I shook my head, signalling that it was fine for us to keep on going. "Actually," she continued, "it's not that I'm strong; I'm just used to it. I mean, you're not as heavy as, say, Takami."

'_Ah, the quarterback for Oujo,_' I recalled our meeting yesterday when I stopped by the library. I didn't know that students of different grades study together here. Actually, I was pretty sure they were the only one who did that. I sniffed before glancing at her, noticing a small blush on her cheeks.

"So-So, like, what?" I coughed in between, "you've carried him before or something?"

"Well, yeah. When his foot is hurting, he has to sit out the game or practice, right?" I nodded to her question. "So, naturally I have to meddle around with his foot while tending it; taking him to the bathroom when he needs to go."

"Can't some other guy do that? I'm sure it would be easier for them," I retorted nonchalantly.

"We-Well yeah, but as a manager, it _is_ one of my duty to tend the players."

"But taking him to the bathroom? Alone? No offence, but if it were me, I would just let one of the bench warmers take him there. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Koharu asked dubiously, noticing the fall in my intonation.

I sniffed. "...Are you two dating?"

"Wh-what?" Koharu suddenly let go of her hold and I stumbled forward. Thankfully, she caught me before I fell and propped me back to our original position.

"No—no! We're not dating! We're just friends! _Good_ friends! That's all we are! That's right, we're just _good_—"

"Do you like him?" I sniffed as I cut off her sentence. She went into total silence.

"Well would you look at that? We're here already!" Koharu exclaimed suddenly with loud, euphoric voice. My ears rung as she continued her declaration right beside it, but I brought it upon myself by asking her such a question. I laughed before getting choked down by a cough.

"You really are sick; rest here. I'll bring your bag at lunch okay?" Koharu let one of her hands go to open the door. As it turned out, the nurse wasn't there. I had no clue how such a school as prestigious as Oujo would have nurses that played hooky, but I was relieved when I saw a small bed by the window.

The bed was covered with crisp white blanket, very neatly tucked into its sides. There was a fluffy looking pillow lying on top of it, also covered with a white pillowcase. The autumn breeze was flowing into the room through the slightly opened window beside the crib, blowing the long, white fabric that was hanging from a ceiling, dividing the small room into two: the nurse's office and the resting place.

"Here you go," she said as she settled me on the bed. "Looks like the nurse is absent today. Where's the replacement nurse when you need her?" Koharu asked, her tone annoyed, as she looked through the white medicine cabinet beside the desk.

"Ah, here we go," I heard her shuffle across the room as I pulled the bedcover over my body. My body was sweating profusely even though I only felt coldness. I sighed as the warmth from the cover started setting it, and I hugged it closer to my body. I felt a gentle hand on my forehead and opened my eyes, discovering Koharu who was taking my temperature. I sniffed again.

"Ah, you do have a little fever. Here, take these meds," she handed me a small plastic cup with three capsules in it before going over to the sink to fill another cup with water. I swallowed the capsules and chugged the water she had brought me before laying back down, sniffing in between.

"There, done," Koharu said as she put a small wet towel on my forehead, smiling proudly at her accomplishment. She then put a box of tissue and a packet of cough drops on the small table beside my bed. "Rest well, you hear? I'll be back in three and a half hours; try not to hurt yourself, alright?"

"Yes..." I croaked. Hmm. Never knew I could croak; that was pretty cool.

"I'll be back before you even know it!" Koharu said before closing the door, leaving me in total solitary. I sighed, feeling the effects of the medicines and the towel before deciding to rest.

* * *

><p>The sound of rustling trees woke me up. It wasn't one of those peaceful rustling sound, it was the one that happens because the wind decided to blow just a little harder than usual. Growling lightly, I propped myself up with my arms as I try to open my eyelids. Fortunately, Koharu was an expert at choosing medicines, because I felt like I was almost healthy again. I yawned and stretched my upper body in delight, taking in the rough sound of crackling branches.<p>

"Oh, you're awake already?"

I screamed very loudly, horribly surprised by the voice that came out of _nowhere_—yeah, that was an exaggeration—before I felt a big hand clamp my mouth shut.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you!"

"Sa-Sakuraba?" I mumbled through his hand when I recognized voice. I looked to my side, and sure enough, there he was. Worry was evident in his widened eyes and curved eyebrows.

"Um..." I started. "Mind getting your hand off my face?" I asked as I try to pry his large hand off my dry lips.

"Y-Yeah! Sorry about that!" Sakuraba quickly took his hand off and brought it to his side while rubbing the back of his head with the other hand. He adjusted his sitting position on the small stool beside my bed. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"A lot better, actually. Thank God Koharu has some knowledge about medicines."

"The nurse is absent again, huh?"

"Yep," I replied simply. "What time is it?"

Sakuraba looked around for a clock. "Half past eleven. Why? You hungry already?" he teased.

"N-No!" I protested. Apparently, my stomach decided to be a rebel and growled on its own. I quickly punched my disobedient stomach; regretting it a second later when the pain started to come. "Okay, yes, I am," I admitted reluctantly. Sakuraba chuckled.

"Here," he took a plate of sliced apples. "You'll have to make do with this and lemon until Wakana comes here with your bag," he poked one of the pieces of apples with a toothpick before handing it to me.

"Thanks," I took the apple and ate it briskly, preparing to stab through another piece when a thought occurred to me. "Why are you here?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, um, I had a very bad stomach ache earlier today," he explained, his eyes averting to his left side.

"You're a terrible liar," I pointed out with an arched eyebrow.

"Honestly, I did!" Sakuraba protested vigorously. This time, he looked straight in my eyes.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because... It was..." He said something, but I couldn't hear it clearly.

"What? Sorry, I couldn't catch that. Mind repeating it?" I put down the toothpick and leaned to him for better hearing.

He glared at me. Maybe he thought I was teasing him. Oh _no_, if I were teasing him, he would be a _lot_ more embarrassed and mad at me than he was then.

"Because," he sighed. "It was Physics and I didn't understand anything because you weren't there and when I don't understand anything I get an upset stomach," he finished his sentence in one breath. Thankfully, I caught that.

I laughed. His glare multiplied by about ten fold.

"Hahaha—sorry, sorry! I just can't—hahahaha!" I tried to speak but I kept on getting interrupted by my uncontrollable laughter. Then my uncontrollable laughter got interrupted by my uncontrollable coughs.

"A-Are you okay?" Sakuraba patted my back gently with one hand, the other one scrambling for a pack of cough droplets on the table.

"I-I." Cough. "I'm—haha—fine!" Cough. "Hahahaha! How could you be so—" Cough. Cough. Cough.

"Stop talking and laughing at the same time, it's aggravating your cough," he advised, sounding a bit annoyed at me. I looked at him apologetically as I continued on laughing and coughing at the same time. I sighed as it eventually died down and Sakuraba gave me a glass of water to drink.

"Nah," I refused his offer. "I'll just take that cough drop," I took the packet from his hand and popped one into my mouth, smiling stupidly as I felt the medicine calm my throat irritation down.

"Why not? It's good for you," he persisted.

"I don't like water," I answered, trying to chew on my honey-lemon cough drop.

"Suit yourself," Sakuraba drank the water in one big gulp and set the cup on the end table. "Do you want more apples?"

I stuck out my tongue at him. He got the message and took a piece for himself. "Where did you get the apples? They weren't here when I came in," I asked him, moving the cough drop from one cheek to another.

"Oh, that? This morning, Shin told me to give them to you," Sakuraba explained, chewing with his mouth open. I scrunched my nose at that behaviour and he quickly fixed it. He swallowed before continuing his sentence. "He also told me to give you these," he grabbed something from his bag and dumped it onto my lap.

It was a bag of _lemons_.

'_Oh, ha ha. Very funny. I suppose he's a fortune-teller now?'_ I thought to myself after remembering what Shin had said about me catching a cold. "Does he really expect me to eat them all raw?"

Sakuraba shrugged. "Maybe. Sometimes with Shin, you just don't know." I nodded in agreement.

Then I realized something. _'Did he just pull these out of his bag?'_ I thought as I searched for something that would resemble the wide receiver's bag. "Why do you have your bag with you?" I asked, pointing my index finger at the black bag on the floor.

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't going to go back to that class without you," he answered honestly, taking another piece of apple and putting it into his mouth. "It was torture, listening to that man rambling on about vector and whatnot. Last year I was with Shin and Wakana, so if Shin decided to train for the whole day, I still had Wakana to lean on to and vice versa." He swallowed and offered me the plate, which I again, stuck my tongue out to. "But _now_ that they're gone, their job is yours, teach!" he winked playfully at me.

"Oh wow, what a great honour," I rolled my eyes in fake sarcasm and smiled at him.

"Actually, we still have two hours of Physics after lunch," I cut him off with a groan. But, I proceeded to fix my mistake by giving him another apologetic smile and he continued. "As I was saying, we still have two hours of Physics after lunch, and I think he's going to randomly ask us questions about chapter one. Sit next to me?" he grinned hopefully.

I sighed understandingly. "That can be arranged," I crunched the very small cough drop and swallowed it, then pulled off the cover in an attempt to stand up.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Sakuraba pushed me back down on my shoulders. I obediently stayed in the upright sitting position before answering his question.

"I'm getting some water. I can refill yours if you want—"

"_No_, you're sick. Just lay down in bed and rest, _I'll _get you water," he slowly lifted my legs one by one, and then pulled the cover over my body very slowly, as if I were a child. I pouted at this. I was _not_ a child; I shouldn't have been treated like one!

Before I got the chance to say something on my mind, the bell rang. Suddenly, the door swung open, recoiling from the wall with a loud _BAM_.

"Io! How are you feeling?" Koharu immediately ran over to my side and checked my temperature, heartbeat, tonsils, and whatnot.

"I'm fine, Koharu," I laughed at her silly motherly antic, gently pushing her wandering hands away.

She raised an eyebrow sceptically at me, unsure of what to believe.

"Seriously, I'm fine!" I assured her. Koharu replied with a long sigh followed by a smile.

"Just remember to take care of yourself, okay?" I nodded vigorously. My brown haired friend then took my hand, placing my purple lunch box in it.

"Eat!"

* * *

><p>"Stop <em>flinching<em>, you're freaking me out."

Sakuraba looked at me, face drenched with sweat. His dark eyebrows were curved up and his mouth formed an unsure way of smiling. I offered him some tissues and he politely refused it.

"S-Sorry, I'm just so n-n-nervous," the wide receiver of Oujo informed me while fidgeting with his fingers.

"Really? But you've participated in numerous football matches before; this should be nothing," I opened my notebook and started to doodle mindlessly.

"T-t-this is different. At the very least, when I fail on the f-f-field, there will always be someone to cover me. Here, it's every man for himself," he twirled and stacked his fingers on top of each other quicker, then unravelling them just as quickly.

I shrugged. "You got me," I concentrated on the doodle of a penguin on my notebook. I stuck my tongue out as I tried to colour it in the most perfect way possible, and groaned quietly when I accidentally went out of line. I looked back at Sakuraba, "like I said, you got me. I'll watch your back, don't worry."

Sakuraba smiled in relief. "Thank God you're in my Physics class. Who knows what I would—"

"Sakuraba Haruto."

The said man tensed up and stood up at the mention of his name. I took a break from the _intense _doodling of a chicken and looked up. As it turned out, our little conversation was spotted by our very _charming_ Physics teacher, and that could only mean one thing: we were going to be picked on for the rest of the lesson.

"Y-yes?" Sakuraba replied weirdly.

"What's the answer to the question I just asked?"

"Um," he trailed off and looked at me. I whispered "Isaac Newton" in response, and that was just what he said.

Our teacher raised an eyebrow and looked sceptically at Sakuraba. "So the answer to the equation on the board is Isaac Newton," he stated more than reassured.

Sakuraba instantly turned to the ever so funny me, who was trying to hold down my laugh as much as possible. I couldn't help it, he just seemed so vulnerable. I looked at the board and memorized the equation, then started scribbling on top of my neatly drawn chicken.

"N-no!" Sakuraba answered to the teacher's statement. "What I meant was..." he looked down, trying to gather some sort of information on his opened textbook. I quickly tugged his white pants, catching his attention. Discreetly, I pointed to the answer with my pencil while looking elsewhere. Sakuraba caught on and squinted his eyes, trying to read the scribbled answer.

"Well?" the teacher persisted.

"T-the answer is 5 meters per second... east?" the last part sounded more like a question than an answer to me, and that bothered me. Was he not confident in my answer?

"That's correct. You may sit down." Sakuraba did as he was told and whimpered down to his seat.

"Yee-ouch!" I whispered loudly as I felt a small pinch on my arm. I slapped the perpetrator's hand away, assuming it to be Sakuraba. I was right, again.

"That Isaac Newton thing was not necessary," he grumbled as he rubbed his hand that was turning red from my slap. I chuckled.

"Well, it looked like you were about to pass out—which was hilarious, by the way—and come on, that was once in a lifetime opportunity!" I defended myself quietly, afraid of having the same fate as my dear friend. "Look! I even did the equation on top of my doodle! Look, look!" I pushed my notebook to his face, forcing him to take a look at it. He chuckled at my action and pushed my notebook back on the table.

"Oh yeah, where's Shin by the way? Haven't seen him since two days ago."

Sakuraba glanced briefly at the teacher to ensure he wasn't looking at us, and then answered me. "Well, he's pretty busy training. I wanted to train too, but I haven't got grades like his so I can't afford to miss school," he sighed in defeat. "He's somewhat of a genius, you know?"

"I've had my guesses. Do you know where he trains?"

"Well, I'm not very sure of that myself. Depending on his training, it could be as far as Mount Fuji."

Little did I know, I was going to find Shin that evening, at one of the most unexpected places one would think of.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes... I know, I'm late. To be honest, I thought no one would read this anymore, but you guys have proven me wrong! :D Thank you SO SO MUCH for those who have alerted and favourited this, and SPECIAL THANKS to **_SasoLOVE111_, _illlee123_, _StarnightX_, _sweetchill21_, _renren_, **and **_Anon_** for REVIEWING! It means a lot to me :) And, if anyone has any idea for this story, I wholeheartedly welcome you to PM me ^^ I'm running out of ideas, so I just might use on of yours (if you give me the permission to use it, of course) :) Ciao~!**


	6. Improper Ring Placement Much?

CHAPTER SIX

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><p>"I'm home!" I shouted as I stepped into my house, taking off my shoes before putting them on a small wooden shelf right beside the doorway. I settled the two plastic bags consisting of scarlet red apples and fresh lemons down before unbuttoning my school blazer.<p>

"Hi, honey! How was school?" my mother skipped down the hallway and greeted me with a bear hug accompanied with a huge smile. She was swaying her hip sideways afterward as she grabbed my plastic bags full of fruits and walked to the kitchen, humming a happy tune that sounded a bit like the Teletubbies' theme song. I scratched my head at her unusual euphoria and proceeded to tell her about what happened at school, including the time at the nurse's office.

"What? My _lovely-lovely_ only daughter got sick?" I heard a vigorous shout coming from the kitchen. No one else in my family had this strong of a voice—or call me that ridiculous excuse of a nickname—except for...

"_Dad?_" I shouted with glee, seeing him dash out the kitchen and towards me. I smiled, dropped my bag and dashed towards him, preparing for the impact that was about to come.

"I haven't seen you for so long!" I yelled happily as he enveloped me in a warm bear hug—that was the impact I was talking about—and spun me around. "How was Paris?" I asked excitedly.

"More importantly, why were you in the nurse's office?" my father ignored my question and asked exaggeratedly, shaking my shoulders back and forth whilst I laughed merrily. I knew it was out of concern, but he was being melodramatic.

"I had a cold, dad," I answered shortly and I saw that protective glint shone in his eyes. "But it's all gone now, don't worry!" I assured him. I saw my mother giving me a sceptical look, but a couple of strong nods and a happy beam managed to convince her. "Just remember to take the cold medicines later, okay?" she advised.

"Oh right, Mio," my mum went to the kitchen and I followed suit with dad behind me. "This morning, after you went to school, a guy dropped by and told me to give this to you," she reached for a white plastic bag and handed them to me. "He was very muscular, you know. Does he play sports?"

I gave my mum a random little nod without taking what she said into account and opened the bag slightly before sighing in amusement. It was filled with no other than my favourite citrus: lemon. I put the bag on the kitchen counter and thanked mum, turning over to go up to my room, having a good hunch of who gave me those.

"Is he your boyfriend?" my mum asked innocently. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"N-no, mum! I told you, I don't have a boyfriend!" I defended myself, hoping to God that she didn't notice my stutter. I never knew that I stutter either, but meh, I guess you find something new about yourself every day.

She did notice, though, and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Is that so?" she asked with a wicked smile forming on her pale face. As soon as I saw my dad turn his head to me, I ran as quickly as I could upstairs, slamming the door after getting into my room. I panted heavily, slightly scared that my dad was going to interrogate me about Shin. But what was I so scared about?

"Oh yeah, honey? We're eating out tonight!"

* * *

><p>I stared out our family car's window, my chin propped up by my palm. Gleaming street lights and chatting people passed me by as I focused my gaze on absolutely nothing. Everything looked like such a blur to me; maybe my flu wasn't completely gone after all. Dizziness swept over me and I leaned back on my seat, observing my parents conversing animatedly with each other in the front seats. I smiled contently and turned my attention back to the view outside our car, slowly closing my eyelids.<p>

_BAM!_

"W-what's wrong, honey?" my mum abruptly stopped her conversation with dad and turned her body to me, who was currently holding my upper body against the car window, much to the seatbelt's dismay.

I pressed my palms and fingertips against the cold glass of the window, my eyes widening as my brain twisted and turned. I felt my head shook and fell back on my seat, groaning weirdly as I lean my head back. My body was aching in so many places at once and mucus was running down my nose and I couldn't be bothered to find any tissue. I felt weird. I thought I saw Shin running just now.

'_I must be hallucinating,'_ I brought my hand to my forehead and sighed.

"Mio, are you sure you're okay? Dear, I think we should turn back," my mum put her hand on my dad's arm gently, her eyes clouded with worry. Dad immediately nodded and stepped on the brake, gently stopping the car.

"No, no, I'm fine, mum, dad. I'll take medicines and rest properly once we get home, okay? It's not so often that we get to do things like this with dad," I assured them, putting on my best healthy act.

My parents look at each other, unsure of what to say. After my mum whispered some things to my dad, they gave me a small smile and acquiesced. I smiled back and closed my eyes, leaning my head back, trying to relax.

My throat was starting to get sore and talking got harder by the second. I then decided to save my voice for important talks only—like if my dad decided to ask me detailed things on my day or something—and stayed quiet for a while before dozing off.

* * *

><p>I tried to eat as much as I could at the Italian restaurant. I felt so out of place with my green tinted skin and red nose, accompanied with a slumped posture and oddly combined fashion (I swear the orange shirt and deep green skirt completely matched each other when I tried it on in my room). I ordered my usual, fusili with cream cheese and mushroom with orange juice as my drink. Groggily, I stabbed one of the pasta with my fork and brought it into my mouth, chewing it slowly as I slumped lower. It didn't taste as good as it normally does.<p>

I sighed and peeked upwards at my parents who were looking at me. At once, I fixed my posture and chewed energetically, trying to open my eyelids as much as possible. I probably looked awful; I didn't even bother brushing my hair before going.

"It's delicious!" I beamed, trying to secretly convince my parents that I was fine. I feel their worried stares on my slightly pale face, and I honestly tried to pump more blood there to make it seem more alive, but I just couldn't do it. I even slapped my face—discreetly, of course—a bit to make it redder.

"Honey, let's go home. We can do this some other time, okay?" my mum put her hand on mine, the lines on her face deepening with concern. "Can you get the waiter, dear?" she asked dad. Dad nodded and called the waiter over, telling him to put our leftover food inside a container to take away. The waiter nodded and asked if we wanted anything else, then walked away after my dad asked for the bill.

"No, mum, it's okay... I'm fine, really—"mum cut me off with a stern look and reached out to my forehead. Her gentle hand felt unreasonably cold on my forehead and I backed up a bit.

"You're burning up," my mum informed me as she stood up, getting both our coat from the small coat hanger located beside our booth. The waiter came over and gave my dad the plastic containers and the bill. My dad quickly put all the leftovers inside the package as my mum helped me put my coat on.

We passed by the waiter and dad gave him our bill with money tucked inside it before we left.

"Oh darn, I parked the car over there!" dad grumbled, slapping his head as he cursed his own forgetfulness. "Both of you stay here, I will go get the car," he said as he started to run north, accidentally bumping onto people who were walking down the sidewalk.

My mum had both her hands on my shoulder, trying to help me stand up. "You should've told us you weren't feeling well. We could spend quality times at home, too, you know," she lectured me softly.

"I know, but you both looked so happy, I didn't want to ruin it," I sniffled. Guess my runny nose had made a comeback.

"Oh, honey," she hugged me. "We would've been happier to see you healthy," she held my face and lifted it up. "Don't do this again, okay?"

I nodded as I felt her lips on my forehead and sniffled again. In response to my action, my mum opened her purse and searched for tissues and quietly cursed when she realized she didn't have any. She pulled my arm and sat me down on a wooden bench near the restaurant and told me to stay put while she buys a pack of tissue and fever medicine from the nearby pharmacy. Again, I nodded and pulled my coat on tighter, relishing the warmth it's giving me on a windy autumn night.

I tilted my head up and looked at the vast night sky that was filled with glittering stars and a single luminescence moon, which used to be my only source of light at my time of distress not so long ago. I chuckled lightly before coughing, and then sniffed my nose yet again.

I looked at the shops and restaurants, as well as the busy intersection that surrounded me with pretty lights, interested at the hustle and bustle of nightlife. My head felt like it was turning round and round, an improbable movement that made me feel even dizzier. The gleaming board signs, the blinking neon lights, the fast cars passing by, everything seemed so interesting to me then—I couldn't stop turning.

But suddenly, I did.

I rubbed my eyes slowly with my jacket covered hands before opening them again, trying to regain focus in my vision. Slowly, I traced my eyes back to the place where I had been looking. I squinted, trying to make out the figure that was moving up and down in the distance. I stood up and put my jacket on properly, then pulled the zipper up after making a split-second decision about whether the weather was too windy or not.

I took a step closer to the building that was located right across the street to have a better look at the moving thing. When I couldn't, I took another step closer, and another one, then another. Eventually, I had to cross the street, so I waited for a few minutes for the streets to clear up and forcefully jogged my way across.

I panted and propped my arms on my knees, bending down to catch my breath. I was never good at dealing with stamina-dropping sickness. Last time I had a cold, it took around a week for it to completely heal. But then again, I wasn't exactly eating nor taking my medicines properly at that time.

After my breath had returned to its regular pattern, I pushed my arms up from my knees and looked up at the humongous bull statue that rested atop a yakiniku restaurant. There were two horns of the same size sticking out towards the junction, and its muzzle was pierced by a single round ring, which was currently the centre of my attention.

On the ring was a hand, which lead to a muscular arm, which lead to a muscular body, which lead to a head—quite obviously. Again, I squinted at the head, trying to make out its features. It seemed familiar, the slightly messed black hair and all. _'Don't tell me...'_

"S-Shin? Is that you?" I said at the body which was going up and down, its arm pulling and pushing at the metal ring.

I heard nothing in reply. _'Maybe my voice wasn't loud enough,'_ I thought as I stroke my sore throat. I really ought to save my voice, but for some reason, I wanted to make sure that it was Shin.

"Shin?" I called out, louder this time. "Is that you?"

The body was about to go up before it halted midway. I guessed he heard me. I saw the head tilting down, and that was when I realized that it indeed _was_ Shin.

"What is it?" Shin replied, his deep voice booming over my head.

"Um... What are you doing?" I tried to yell, but something that sounded like a sick horse came out instead. I burst into coughs and tried to cover my mouth with both my hands, but ended up losing my balance because of the recoil. I stumbled back and fell onto the hard pavement on my butt.

Still stuck in the fit of coughs, I looked up at Shin who continued to do his pull ups for another five seconds before letting go of his hand and dropped down to the ground, landing ever so casually on his feet. He walked over to me, who was still on the ground—I got a few stares because of that—coughing like there was no tomorrow.

"Can you get up?" he asked, his eyes fixated on mine.

I nodded and took my hands away from my mouth, putting them onto the ground then pushing it to propel my body upwards. My head spun for a bit and I stumbled forward, trying to gain my equilibrium. Shin took a hold of me by my arms and pulled me up quickly, leaving no time for me to squeal.

As I felt the soles of my shoes planted on the ground firmly, I fixed my posture and started to look up. That was when I noticed something.

Shin was _shirtless_.

I brashly pulled away from his hold on my arms and hit the back of my thighs on the metal fence that bordered the sidewalk. I felt heat rushed into my face when I realized just how close my face was to his chest. Shin looked at me questioningly—well, questioningly for Shin—and I averted my gaze to the left, then to the right. I was _definitely_ not used to these sorts of things.

"S-Shin," I started, "why aren't you wearing your shirt?" I tried to look him in the eye but failed when I felt my eyes tracing his chiselled chest. _'What am I _doing_? Isn't this a form of sexual harassment?'_ I thought frantically as I tried to think of kittens, puppies, and anything else that was deemed innocent. When _that_ failed, I waved my arms in the air, trying to get rid of my other thoughts before having another coughing fit. I was such a failure.

"It's not necessary to wear my shirt if I were going to sweat so much," Shin answered and took a step towards me. My stomach twisted and turned and my face was sweating profusely. I didn't know if this was the flu or something else, but I sure didn't like it. Not one bit.

And as if that wasn't enough, my coughing just wouldn't stop. I tried hitting my chest with my fist a couple of times, taking deep breaths at the interval of each coughs, but nothing seemed to work.

"You're sick, aren't you?" Shin took another step towards me.

I shook my head in denial and coughed my last cough before saying, "where's your shirt?" I coughed a bit more after that. _'It's probably better if I keep my mouth shut._'

Shin turned his head to the side of the entrance of the yakiniku restaurant, where his white t-shirt resided. I looked at it and nodded in understanding.

"Oh yeah! Speaking of which," I started to cough at the loudness of my voice, "your hoodie is still with me. I've washed it though; I can give it to you tomorrow?" I whispered the last bit of my sentence. Shin nodded.

"And also, I was thinking, maybe we can start the training tomorrow morning? You know, before school?" I suggested in whispers. Shin looked at me sceptically.

"You're sick," he stated simply.

"Am not!" I almost yelled; thankfully, that didn't initiate my cough. "I'm just saving my voice," I gestured weirdly with my hands. Shin just stood there and looked at me. "Ah, my mum's there! Gotta go!" I whispered loudly and turned to the zebra cross, waiting for a chance to cross the street.

"Oh," I added, "and put your shirt back on. It's distracting." I left Shin in front of the restaurant and jogged to my mum, who was running back and forth in front of the Italian restaurant, asking people if they had seen me.

"Mio! I told you _not_ to wander around, geez!" my mum complained and took a pack of tissue before handing it to me. I opened the package, took a sheet and blew my nose with it.

"Thanks mum, that was much needed," I smiled at her, feeling strangely better.

I turned to the street at the loud sound of my dad's Volkswagen's klaxon. My dad rolled the car window down and poked his head through it, telling us to get in. Mum laughed for no reason and went for the passenger seat giddily. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to look at the yakiniku restaurant for the last time, checking if Shin was still there. Why? Don't _ask_ me why, I just wanted to, okay? And for your information, he was _still_ there.

I saw him moved his head in my direction and I raised my right hand up, waving at him. I saw a nod in acknowledgement and grinned before skipping—no, wait, I meant walking, _walking_—to the car door and getting into the backseat. Settling in the cosiness that was the leather bound seat, I let the warmth from the air conditioner invade my skin and sighed.

"Who was that?" my mum asked me out of the blue.

"Wha? Um, he's my friend from school, mum," I answered briefly.

"I feel like I've seen him from somewhere... I wonder—oh! He was the one who gave you those lemons!" mum clasped her hands in realization. "Is he your boyfriend?" she pressed on.

I felt the car stopped abruptly, then started moving again. Maybe that question shocked my dad a bit; he _was_ a bit protective of me.

"No, mum. Just a friend," I tried to assure her, but I knew that I couldn't suppress her motherly 'instinct', however wrong it may be. As soon as I realized that she wasn't going to let me off that easily, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, enjoying the soft rattling of the car when it made a turn or two. I heard my mother sighed in understanding before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up to the loud sounds of thumps and bumps from downstairs. I sat up and rubbed my eyes groggily, feeling the dizziness swarm my head. I blinked twice and tried to absorb as much information as I could of my surroundings. It appeared that I was on my bed, clad in my new, very, <em>very frilly<em> pyjamas—courtesy of dad. I thought it was a t-shirt at first, but it turned out to be a long sleeved shirt with puffed up hem at the bottom and pretty frills on the collar line. I was also wearing shorts that puffed up at the end of the same colour: pale green.

'_I guess mum must've helped me change yesterday...'_ I thought as I recalled yesterday's events piece by piece.

I pushed the duvet away from my legs and stood up, grabbing my bed for support when I felt the same wave of dizziness swept me. I took a glance at my alarm clock; it read 5.30. _'Who's up at this time in the morning?'_ I staggered a bit before being able to stand up properly. Upon noticing the cold temperature, I grabbed a small blanket from the back of my chair and wrapped it around myself. I then took small steps towards my bedroom door and opened it.

I looked down the hallway and it seemed like my parents' bedroom door was slightly agape. I walked there with my hand tracing the wall beside me for support, the other grasping the joining of the dark blue blanket tightly. As I come to a stop, I peeked through the small opening between the door and its frame, seeing my father snoring loudly, his limbs sprawled all over the bed, the duvet hanging on his side.

Smiling, I closed the wooden door slowly and trotted the other way to the staircase. I stepped down a step at a time, leaning on the railing heavily. The carpet felt warm and fuzzy against my cold toes.

"Oh, honey, did I wake you up? I'm sorry! My boss called me last night and said that we're having an _early_ morning meeting at the central office and it's very important so I can definitely _not_ miss this one! Oh, do you mind passing my bag on the table, sweetie? Thanks," my mum rambled to me whilst going back and forth from the kitchen to the living room.

I lifted her brown leather handbag from the table and gave it to my busy bee mother. She took it and attempted a smile with a burnt toast in her mouth and a cup of coffee in her other hand. I walked to the door and opened it for her, then handed her a set of keys and took her coffee mug as she passed by. She mumble-yelled a vague thank you and opened the gates before running to catch the earliest bus.

I waved my hands weakly and smiled before closing the door. I coughed as a breeze of cold air whirled around my neck and realized how my throat felt so much sorer than the night before. Fortunately, I was still able to talk, but I was in no condition to climb up those horrid, though soft, stairs.

I decided to make myself some warm tea and watch television to pass the time. I could never go back to sleep if awaken at dawn or early morning. So I sat on the comfortable cushion of the white sofa in the living room, turned on the TV and mindlessly flipped through the channels until I finally found a rerun of a favourite program of mine.

Sipping the sweet berry tea, I curled up with my knees supporting my chin and hugged the blanket tighter to my body. It still felt cold, so when I saw a maroon blanket lazily lying on the other edge of the sofa, I hesitated not on taking it and making it a part of my outfit.

One of the good parts of the episode was airing when I heard the bell rang. I groaned and lazily made my way to the front door with my mug still in my hand. It was probably mum forgetting her keys again.

Right when I opened the door, I saw my mum trying to stick her house keys to the door lock. _'Oh, that's right, I gave her the keys,'_ I remembered. _'I guess she forgot she had it with her.'_

"What's wrong, mum? Did you forget something?" I asked with a hoarse voice, wrapping the double blankets tighter around my body as the small breeze invaded through the gap of the door.

"Yes, actually," my mum handed me a small white plastic bag. "Here's a warm porridge I got from down the street, they're pretty tasty, so I think you'd like it. And also, your medicines are on the kitchen counter, right beside the coffee maker. I see you've already made yourself a cup of tea, that's good. If you're having some trouble, do _not_ be afraid to break some things to wake your father up, he can deal with his jet lag later. The maids are coming here at 10, don't be shy to ask them for things, alright, sweetie?" she rambled again.

I nodded in understanding and she gave me a small peck on my warm forehead. "Take the fever medicine if necessary, okay? I am so sorry I can't stay home to take care of you today; I really wish I could..." she gave me a sad smile, her shoulders slumped. "But, I have to go now; get well soon, Mio," my mum hugged me tight and waved before once again running to the bus stop.

Closing the door with a smile, I wobbled back to the sofa and set my cup down on the coffee table in front of it. I took the plastic container out of the plastic bag and inhaled the great smell of porridge. Taking the plastic spoon, I started feeding myself little by little, blowing on the white lumps if necessary. It was delicious.

On my fifth spoon, I heard the bell ring again. Feeling better with a slightly full stomach, I took a sip from my bunny-shaped mug and went to get the door. I wrapped the blankets even tighter, preparing for the gust of wind that was going to hit me in the face again.

Surprisingly, no wind hit me when I opened the door. That was probably because the person in front of me was substantially taller than my mum. Slowly, I turned my head up and took a few steps back when I realized that the person in front of me was Shin.

"Shin? What are you doing here?" I asked and coughed a bit, curling my toes against the wooden floor.

Shin casted his gaze down upon me and said, "training."

Realization hit me like a tornado and I dropped my blankets in a matter of seconds. "O-oh yeah! I completely forgot about that! I'm so sorry, I'll go get changed now!" I said quite loudly—which caused me to have another coughing fit—and spun around, preparing to run up the stairs.

I stopped when I felt his hand on my shoulder. Turning back to face him, I shuddered at the cold temperature that seeped through my clothes.

"You're still sick," Shin stated levelly, his face emotionless.

"Not sick enough to break a promise," I denied. "Wait here, it won't even take 5 minutes—" my saliva got caught in my throat and I started to cough uncontrollably. It didn't help that I found the situation funny and tried to _laugh_ between the coughs.

I whirled around and crouched down; trying to calm both my laughter and my coughs but ended up worsening it by shivering against the cold gust of wind that came from the side of the door Shin didn't cover. Goosebumps started to cover my bare legs and I tried to warm them up by rubbing my palms against them.

I stopped when I felt my heavy blankets draped around my shoulders. Turning the upper half of my body around, I saw Shin crouching down behind me, one of his hands holding a medium sized plastic bag.

"What is that?" I asked in loud whisper as I moved my lower half of the body around so I could talk to him face to face.

"I thought you'd still be sick, so I brought you these," he pushed his plastic holding hand to the front of my face. A faint smell of citrus wafted into my nose.

"Are those... lemons?" I asked.

"Vitamin C is good to consume when you're having a cold," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Shin, I haven't even finished the last batch of lemons you gave me... Nor the apples!" I pushed the plastic bag away from my face so I could see him better. "There's so many I don't even know what to do with them!"

"Eat them," he stated ever so calmly, his lips set in that firm frown.

"...Are you serious?"

Shin nodded.

"...Raw?"

Shin nodded again.

I pouted for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter. "You're a bit weird aren't you? I guess that makes the two of us," I smiled up at him. He looked at me for a while before pushing the plastic bag onto my face.

"He-hey! Shin! I can't see!" I tried to push the bag away but he was just too damn strong. "Okay, okay, fine, I'll take it!" I took the plastic bag from his hand and stumbled forward at the heaviness of the bag. "My Lord, just how many _lemons_ did you put in here?" I whined as I stood up with both hands carrying the white plastic.

My blankets fell as I rose up from the ground. "Oh great, I'll go get it—" my sentence was interrupted by a chain of coughs that started because of my yelling. Shivering, I walked to the living room and with all my might, threw the plastic bag onto the sofa, which _almost _toppled my porridge. Why did I even put the porridge on the sofa in the first place?

I half jogged back to the front door, only to see Shin leaving.

"Shin!" I called out. Shin stopped by the gate and faced me.

"Aren't you going to come in? It's still 5.45," I offered as I took my blankets from the floor and clothed myself with it. "I can make you some berry tea?" I finished my offer with small coughs.

Shin jogged across the front lawn to the other side of the front door. "No, that might mess up my balanced diet," he declined my offer.

"Oh, w-well wait up, I'm gonna get changed, then we can train together!" I was about to turn around when a pair of strong arms prevented me from doing so. I looked back and met his intense look and shrivelled by a fraction.

'_How is his face growing? Or am I shrinking? Wait, are those even possible?'_ I silently thought as I saw Shin's face getting bigger and bigger in my vision. When I realized that it was just his face _nearing_ mine, my cheeks heated up—because of the cold weather, mind you.

"S-Shin? What are you doing?" I tried to back up but his hold wouldn't let me. Shin didn't say anything.

As his face come closer, my thoughts went _nuts_. I didn't know what I was meant to do! I didn't even know what he was _trying_ to do! I shut my eyes and gripped my blankets, hard. I didn't like the fact that my palpitation was increasing very rapidly; it was as if I could hear my own heart beat. My breath shortened, beads of sweat started to form on my forehead, everything was honestly out of control—

_Thump._

"You have a fever."

My brown eyes fluttered open without my consent, immediately connecting to his black ones.

'_T-too close!'_I thought frantically and pushed him away as hard as I could with one hand. I stumbled a few steps back and gained balance before noticing the lost of the slightly cool sensation on my forehead. I raised a hand and touched it. A part of it _was_ slightly cooler than the rest.

"W-were you checking my temperature?" I asked with uncertainty evident in my tone.

Shin nodded. "Your temperature is quite high; I suggest you take your fever medicine and rest. Also, it would be better if you increase your consumption of vitamin C. It would allow your body system to recuperate faster."

I blinked a few times as my brain processed the information Shin had just given me and nodded very slowly. Shin nodded in response and left to continue his jogging without saying goodbye.

Soon enough, a strong gust of wind slammed the door closed in my face and shocked me out of my stupor. Ever so slowly, I descended to the ground, trembling slightly.

"Wha... What the hell..." I brought my hand back to my forehead. "Couldn't he just use his hand...?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew, that was long, huh? THANK YOU SO MUCH for those who have reviewed, yes, I'm looking at you** _Random Person 94_, _SasoLOVE111_, _xXDeath-N'-HellXx_, _anon_ (I'm sorry, there's just a blank and I don't know how to properly address you :( ), _geekyxchild_, and Juliedoo**! Also thanks to those who have given me their ideas as to what to do with this story, I probably will use them, but in a different way than how it's suggested. Again, thank you for still reading this story, and I'll see you next chapter :) Bye!**


	7. Chocolate Filled Pokes and Bananas

CHAPTER SEVEN

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes.<p>

The sunlight that was shining into my room was giving me enough lighting to see my pristine white alarm clock standing atop my end table. It was 7.30 in the morning.

Slowly, I sat up, pushing down the thick duvet that covered my body and scrunched it on my lower stomach. I rubbed my eyes a few times and my head roughly, trying to get rid of the sudden headache.

Sitting in a trance, I heard light chirps of birds from a distance, which intrigued me. I've always liked animals—birds especially. Very carefully, I turned my neck to the direction of my window that was half covered in white, lacy curtains which were bounded at the middle by two strips of baby blue fabrics. I prepared myself to stand up and stretched my arms, letting out a deep yawn simultaneously. Kicking my legs softly, I pulled the duvet away and stood up on the side of my bed.

I slipped on my favourite slippers—they had fluffy brown bunny heads at the front—and treaded lazily on the white furry carpet towards the window. Putting both my palms on the glass, I shivered slightly at the coldness that buzzed my skin. I reached the golden clasp and clicked it open, then pushed the window forward.

Smelling the sweet scent of morning air, I subconsciously smiled as I heard the chirps growing louder. I took a gray cardigan from the hanger near the large wooden chest across the bed and put it on. I snuggled against the woollen comfort and warmth it provided me and started to hum Canon by Pachelbel as I skipped downstairs to get some breakfast.

* * *

><p>It had been two days since Shin visited me.<p>

Koharu, Sakuraba, and Takami were nice enough to have visited me on Friday. I remembered them apologizing for not bringing me any fruits—honestly, I was _thankful_ for that—and I couldn't help but notice how Koharu and Takami were sticking to each other the whole time. I was sure that Sakuraba noticed it, too, because we had some fun times laughing at the weird mannerism those two showed.

I stopped my skipping at the very last step and looked at the calendar that hung on the pale yellow wall.

'_Sunday already, huh?'_ I thought as I continued to skip into the kitchen.

"Morning, Pops!" I greeted my dad casually when I saw him sipping his black coffee on the dining table. He was holding the morning newspaper in one hand—so typical, right? "Do you want waffles? Pancakes? French toast? Anything?" I offered him as I clicked the water boiler on.

"No thanks, Mio. My stomach doesn't work until 9," Dad chuckled and I chimed in.

"Well, it looks like _somebody's_ all better!"

"Mum! Do you want anything for breakfast? Waffles? Pancakes? French toast? Pancakes? Omelette? Pancakes?" I enthused as I put three teaspoonfuls of sugar into my bunny mug—I just so happened to like my tea sweet; don't judge me—and took a berry infused tea bag out of its box.

"No thanks, sweetie, I can cook my own breakfast and yours, too," Mum giggled and gave me a hug, which I reciprocated. "Let me guess... You want pancakes with chocolate chips?" she released me and put on a crisp white apron. I nodded vigorously, to which she smiled.

"Don't forget, I want some too!" Dad joined in, dropping his newspaper on the table.

"You said you didn't _want_ any!" I protested as I sat down on the kitchen stool, waiting for the water to boil.

"Well, it seems like my appetite's gone up after I saw my favourite girls happy and healthy!" he came over and ruffled my bed hair.

I laughed. "You're so corny!" I said as I moved his hand away from my messed hair.

"Anything for my girls," he beamed and gave mum a kiss on the lips.

I smiled at my parents. I've always loved—and envied—how they looked so happy around each other. Dad used to tell me that they _always_ got voted couple of the year in high school—which I didn't believe at _all_—but then, I started to believe and see _why_ they got picked.

A loud click from the water boiler snapped me from my thoughts and I proceeded to pour the hot water into my black mug. The smell of berries drifted around the air, and I sighed in happiness.

"Mum, Dad, can I go running today?" I asked them as I stirred my tea, still sitting on the wooden furniture. They both looked at me at the same time, worried.

"Don't worry! I'm all healthy now! And this time, I'm _honest_," I gave them my best puppy eyes and slapped my chest a few times to show them that I was _tough_.

My parents sighed synchronously at my antics. "Alright honey, but not too far and not for a long time, okay?" Mum asked. I nodded quickly and sipped my tea before sighing in happiness again.

Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

><p>I looked at my reflection in the mirror.<p>

My hair was tied into a high ponytail that ended just below my neck. I was wearing my gray training pants—thank goodness the mud stain came out—with a deep purple tank top. I grabbed my milk scented lotion and put some on my arms, moistening my dry skin.

After waving my arms around to get the lotion to dry faster, I took my fully charged iPod and cell phone from my desk, shoving them into my pants' pocket. Catching a sight of spare changes near the desk lamp, I quickly swept them with my hand and dropped them into my other pocket. I glanced around for a jumper, and my eyes settled on a folded gray jumper that I _borrowed_ from a certain someone.

I debated against myself. To wear, or not to wear. To be honest, the sweater _was_ really warm—I didn't even notice the water that was seeping through the other night, so that _had_ to be somehow thick—and I really liked the size. But then again, it wasn't mine, and it was only there because I haven't had the chance to return it back to its original owner.

It was _hard_ battling against yourself in silence, but my other 'self' won. I took a black jumper from the large wardrobe and put it on, zipping it halfway up.

I jogged in place, examining my appearance. It seemed like it was going to be a bit windy, and I did not want to risk getting sick again, so I took a white woollen scarf that was tied on my bed post and whirled it around my neck, getting it up to my chin.

I smiled. _'Perfect,'_ I thought in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>I checked my phone before leaving the house, noting to come back for lunch. It was ten o'clock when I opened the gates and sprinted right. I put my earphones on and played a rock song on my iPod, rhythmically shaking my body as I ran along the sidewalk.<p>

It was a nice morning; people were jogging, the sun was up and shining, the birds were chirping. But the best part about it was that I could _see_. Unlike that one night when I got lost—that was _horrible_.

I moved my facial muscles, making weird expression as I felt them freezing from the chilly autumn air. My decision of putting on a scarf was a good decision, as it turned out. I felt my cheeks getting rosy and I inhaled the morning air deeply as I passed a happy couple jogging alongside one another. Finally, I've felt the rush of joy from running and ran even faster. I took turns here and there, figuring that I could always ask for directions if I get lost.

Looking to my right, I saw a trail that lead to a small park. The park was filled with children running around in some kind of a tag game, mucus trailing down their nose from the cold. I felt myself grin and jogged in place, momentarily 'resting' my legs. After three songs were played on my iPod, I started jogging forward; happiness filling my heart after seeing the child I supported won the game of hide and seek.

* * *

><p>"O-okay, so I go right from here, and then?"<p>

The old lady in front of me repeated her explanation about my whereabouts. Needless to say, I got lost. Don't ask me how I got lost for a second time—not to mention in broad daylight this time—I just _did_. I nodded as she started to gesture where to turn with her wrinkled hands. She was very pretty and patient, something I kind of lacked.

"O-okay, I got it! Thank you very much!" I gave her a little bow and then waved, met with a small smile that graced her glowing face.

I turned around and started to jog. Honestly, I couldn't remember much of what she had said. I tilted my head up a bit to watch the sky as I jogged slower downhill. Laughing at the cloud that was shaped like my dad's head, I scooped my earphones out of my pocket which I had taken out earlier to listen to the old lady.

I was choosing a song from my iPod when I saw my hands got darker. _'Is this... A shadow?'_ I asked myself and halted almost immediately after I confirmed that it was, indeed, a shadow.

"Whoa!" I let out a small yell as I stopped right in front of the person in front of me. "Sorry! I almost crashed into you just now," I laughed a little and looked up.

The person had his back facing me. I felt myself shrink as I thought of how stupid I looked talking to a person's back. I glanced up at the person again, then tilted my head and raised an eyebrow as I examined his clothing. He was wearing a gray jumper—I assumed he was a he because he was taller than me and had broad shoulders—with its hood covering his head. For some reason, that sight seemed familiar to me.

As I looked down, deep in thought—I guessed that he was Channing Tatum for some odd reason—I heard him spoke to me.

"It seems like a lot of our encounters start with a crash."

I looked up; my hope crushed into bits and pieces. There I was, imagining what it would have been like if he were Channing Tatum, but no, I had to _almost _crash into Shin.

I guessed he saw my slightly sad—my lips were starting to quiver—look, so he asked me: "Are you still sick?"

I shook my head. "No, I just thought you were Channing Tatum."

Shin look at me, a bit puzzled. "Who is Channing Tatum?"

My expression changed for a dramatic turn. "Who is—_who _is Channing _Tatum_? Only, like, my _favourite_ actor in the world!" I explained as I waved my arms up and down, still having a firm grip on my silver iPod.

"Oh," Shin replied and turned away from me before starting his jog down the hill. Shocked of being left alone without as much as a bye, I ran and passed him before turning my right foot and used it as a pivot to spin around, trying to face him.

Embarrassingly enough, the uneven terrain caused me to lose my balance and I fell flat on my face.

How did that happen? I wouldn't have known, that was my first time trying to do a cool spin like that.

I felt the tremor of his footsteps stopped and grumbled as I tried to look up. Obviously, I was in an awkward position—I could hear the people on the opposite sidewalk laugh at me. That was probably because my face was on the ground and my butt was sticking up.

"Don't say anything," I mumbled grumpily as I pushed my hands on the cemented pavement, propelling my upper body up. Soon enough, I noticed a hand placed right in front of my vision.

"Here," Shin said, kindly offering me his palm. I pouted and placed my hand in his, putting my weight on it as I stood up.

"Thanks," I said in a quiet voice. He nodded and continued on jogging. I checked my clock: it was eleven. Deciding I had nothing better to do until lunch, I caught up with him and jogged beside him. I thought that it was dangerous for my iPod to be held by someone as kinetically challenged as me, so I put it inside my pants' pocket, tapping it twice to make sure it settled in deep and safe.

Shin must've thought something was off, because he looked at me with that Shin-esque questioning look. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jumper and shrugged. "I'm jogging with you." He just gave me another nod.

An idea passed through my brain. I quickened my pace by a bit, noting that he quickened his pace, too. Then I started to jog faster. When I saw him trying to catch up with me, I started sprinting like crazy.

Well, maybe not like, _crazy_ crazy, but it was quite fast considering I had just gotten well.

My eyes widened when I saw him nearing by the seconds. I was determined not to lose, so I tried even harder to sprint even faster. It turned out that he was still able to catch up to me, but he couldn't pass me at all.

We probably looked like two weirdoes—running really fast on the sidewalk that was almost packed with people and all—but to be completely honest, I enjoyed it. It was really fun having someone who was on equal grounds with you. I turned right, he followed. He turned left, I followed. It was an addicting game of tag that I wished would never end.

I smiled challengingly at him, satisfied to see him covered in sweat. His eyes were completely focused on the route in front of him, yet I could feel him checking my every movement from the corner of his periphery. I tugged the elastic band that held my hair and pulled it off, letting my black strands blow freely in the autumn breeze.

I felt so _happy_.

Yet, ever so slowly, I noticed my stamina decreasing. My neck was getting sweatier and my breaths were getting shorter and heavier, and my insides felt like they were curling into a little ball. My legs were doing incredibly fine, though, they certainly didn't complain from the much overdue exercise.

Stepping on a hexagonal stone pavement, I made a quick cut to the left and dashed forward, thanking God for the lack of people that was present on that particular sidewalk. I had absolutely no clue where I was heading, but I was having _way_ too much fun to stop for directions. Shin was right beside me; I could tell that he was slightly struggling to keep up with my pace. As I ran, I tried to multitask and calculated the speed I was going at before making a mental note about Shin's current speed.

Subconsciously, I let out a laugh. I hadn't been able to multitask for a long time. I mean, sure, I could walk and talk at the same time, but I hadn't been able to run and _think_ at the same time. It would confuse my brain and I would end up falling into a ditch I had somehow see from miles away.

Feeling my stomach growling and curling in protest, I gradually changed my strides, letting Shin passed me by. I smiled when I realized that he probably hadn't noticed me slowing down. I jogged and followed his trails, the coins in my pockets jingling loudly.

'_Huh, he really isn't slowing down, is he,'_ I thought as I pulled my cell phone out to check the time.

It was around fifteen minutes to twelve. No wonder my stomach had been growling. I held another debate with myself while walking, trying to figure out which would be better: buying some snacks from a nearby shop or going home and eat a whole meal. Without a doubt, the latter won, but it only had a little time of rejoice because out of nowhere, I realized that I was in a completely different neighbourhood.

"Oh no..." I whined loudly. "This is not good... Um, um... I should ask for directions," I looked around for anyone who seemed approachable. There weren't any—by that, I meant that there were a couple of people, but they looked mean enough to be a part of infamous gangs and such. Not really my cup of tea. I sighed and walked slowly, nearing a junction.

"Well, okay, one plan's down. What about... Oh yeah! Shin! Where is he?" I hit my palm with my fist in realization. "Shin? Shin~? Where are you~?" I called out to him, my hands cupping my mouth. "Shin?"

"Yes?"

I let out a shrill when I saw his rather intimidating figure coming from my left. I gulped, holding my heart with one hand while my breath got _really_ heavy. Looking around, I took notice that I was at the junction already.

"Would you stop doing that?" I asked between gasps of air.

"Stop what?" Shin enquired. He stopped jogging in place and stood still, pulling his hood back.

"Scaring me! You always show up out of nowhere," my eyebrows were raised as my breath steadied. Shin didn't say anything. I took one deep breath to calm myself down and asked him, "where are we right now?"

He looked around, taking information on how our surroundings look before replying, "Block F."

I gave him a tired stare, obviously not knowing where 'Block F' was. "Well, is there any place from which I can get food? I'm getting really hungry," I rubbed my stomach, feeling the warm air that was trapped on my white woollen scarf.

"Do you have any preference?" Shin asked me, his voice starting to show some interest. A very slight one, though.

"Well... I like sweet things? Are there any waffle vendors or something around here?" I asked, fanning myself with my right hand, leaning on my left leg.

Shin nodded before turning around and power-walking the other way.

"H-hey, wait! Shin! I can't walk that fast yet! My stamina hasn't recovered!" I half-yelled as I tried my best to catch up with him. What was _up_ with his pacing?

He stopped and looked at me, seemingly noting my scarlet face and heavy breaths. I gulped and stood straight, trying to look as strong as I possibly could. "What?" I asked, cursing myself when my voice came out a bit strangled.

"Do you need some help?" he asked simply, his voice reverting back to its emotionless sound.

"With what?" my shoulders started to slump again, but thankfully, my breath was getting regular again.

I guessed he took my question as a yes, because the next thing I knew, I was being carried on his back.

"S-Shin! What are you doing? Let me down; I can walk by myself, you know!" I screamed, putting my hands on his back and pushing as hard as I could so that he would let go of me. As it turned out, having an empty stomach completely drained out my power, resulting in me not moving an inch from where I was.

"It's fine," Shin said simply, tightening his hold on my knees. He kept on walking straight, ignoring the weird looks we got from the gangster-looking-teenagers. I, myself, couldn't _stand_ to be looked at, so I tried to hide my face inside the large scarf that could only cover half my head.

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly, my head held down. I grasped the back of his hoodie tightly when I felt him nod and rested my head behind his lower head. The firm steps that he took rocked my body back and forth and I enjoyed every moment of it. I nuzzled my head a little bit, finding comfort at the crease of his neck.

"Hey, Shin?"

Shin stopped walking and turned his head slightly to look at me.

"You sure know how to make a move on the ladies."

* * *

><p>"Ooh, ooh! I want the chocolate one! Hey, hey, Shin, which one do you want?" I asked excitedly as I jumped up and down, pointing my dainty finger at the menu board that was nailed onto the wall.<p>

Shin shook his head, telling me that those sorts of things ruin his balanced diet. I scoffed and ordered a chocolate banana crêpe that was indicated by the number 3.

"That would be five hundred yen," the cashier told me as she handed my piping hot dessert.

My tongue subconsciously stuck out of my mouth when I reached down at my pocket to take my money. After a few tries, I finally succeeded in taking all of my coins into my fist and pulling them out. I slowly counted them, picking them out one by one. Grinning in satisfaction, I handed the blond cashier all of the coins and walked away, Shin beside me.

"You wan' som'?" I offered Shin as I chewed on the sweet treat. I knew it was bad manners to talk with your mouth full, but I felt like Shin was one of those people who wouldn't care about manners. Well, not anyone else's at least.

"No," he refused.

"Oh, come on," I swallowed and took a seat on the nearby bench under a tree. The sun was rising up, burning my pale skin. Shin took a seat next to me, his face still as serious as ever. "It has _bananas_?" I persuaded him, slowly inching the crêpe closer to his face.

Shin looked at me, his eyebrows lightly raised, his eyelids squinted.

I rolled my eyes. "Bananas are known for their high amount of potassium? I thought you knew that. Now eat," I persistently shoved my crêpe at him, my mouth curling into a frown.

Ever so slightly, he cringed at my movement and tried to hold my down with one arm. Not one to give up, I kept on waving my arms at him, trying to reach him in some way. He had his left hand on my right cheek, keeping my vision of him very sparse. I couldn't see where I was poking the crêpe with his hand meddling!

I started opening my mouth and then closing it with vigour, trying to bite one of his fingers off my face. That movement seemed to put him in a bit of alert, so I kept on doing it. I could feel his hold getting stronger, and I tried to turn my head a bit more his way but to no avail.

"Shin! Eat some bananas, dammit!" I yelled, waving my crêpe holding arm up and down while trying to move it forward simultaneously.

"No," Shin declined yet again, his voice getting firmer.

"Please? I don't feel right eating by myself!"

"You shouldn't have bought that, then."

"But I was _hungry_!"

"You could've opted for something healthier."

"...Would you have eaten it with me, then?"

"No."

"_Shin_!" I whined. "If you don't eat this, I'm gonna cry," I threatened, pulling my arms back to my side slowly, my lips forming a puppy dog pout.

Shin wasn't a guy who could be fazed by such tricks, I had come to learn.

"I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna cry!" I made my lips quiver, my eyes bigger and started to blink rapidly. Looking at his constant facial expression, I gave up. "Fine! You suck," I crossed my arms and pouted, taking another bite from the delicious food. I thought I heard a light chuckle, but when I turned around, there was only the silent Shin.

"Next time, Shin."

Shin turned his head.

"Next time we're going on these kinds of training, I'm going to make you eat whatever I'm eating! So you better not plan out your food intake for that day!" I pointed my crêpe at him, fiery passion burning in my eyes.

I didn't know why, but Shin's eyes visibly widened. I guess he wasn't a fan of people who points their food at other people.

"I'll be waiting."

With that, Shin stood up and started to jog.

Flabbergasted, I stared at him for a couple of seconds before running after him.

"Hey, wait! I haven't finished eating yet!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello, again! I'm very sorry for the long (and unannounced) hiatus, I sorta had a writer's block. I hope this makes up my absence, though :) As per use, thank you for the LOVELY PEOPLE who left me REVIEWS! Special thanks to **_Juliedoo_, _Lorem tenebrae_, _Random Person 94_, _sweetchill_, _Weuer_, _odagiriryu_, **and** _xXDeath-N'-HellXx_**!** **Reading your reviews kept me going forward and reminded me of my obligation to finish this story, which hopefully can be fulfilled, haha. Of course, I thank all of you who have added this story into your alert and/or favourite list! I can't believe I even got listed as one of your favourite AUTHORS! :O In short, I owe you guys a lot. So, thank you so, very much. :)**


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